Prayers and offices of devotion; for families, and for particular persons, upon most occasions

IN MEMORIAM
BERNARD MOSES

V

3

7

JENKS' DEVOTION.

PRAYERS

OFFICES OF DEYOTIOiN;

FOR FAMILES, AND FOR PARTICULAR PERSONS,
UPON MOST OCCASIONS.

BY BENJAMIN JENKS.

n

A NEW EDITION, ALTERED AND IMPROVED

BY THE

REV. CHARLES SIMEON.

LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;

EDINBURGH ; AND NEW YOKK.

MOttS

CONTENTS,

STATED PRAYERS.

Page
First .................................... 9 Fifth

Second ................................. 12 Sixth

Third 14 Seventh 26

Fourth 17

Second

32

Sixth

48

Third
Fourth

85
39

Seventh

53

SABBATH MORNING.

First 57 1 Mid-day...

Second 59

First

EVENING.
66 | Second. 69

PUBLIC AND GENERAL OCCASIONS.

BEFORE RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT.

A Confession from the Com- I A Prayer 81

mandments 74 |

AT THE SACRAMENT.

Ejaculations before receiving.. .86 | Ejaculations after receiving ...89

AFTER THE SACRAME]S7T.
A Prayer 92 J A Dedication 95

776805

vi

CONTENTS.

Morning...

FAST DAYS.

(SEE PAGE 74.)
Page

97 | Evening..,

103

HOLY SEASONS.

The Incarnation of Christ 109

The Death of Christ Ill

The Resurrection of Christ 114

The Ascension of Christ 116

The Descent of the Holy
Ghost 117

The Commemoration of any
Saint 119

PRIVATE AND PARTICULAR OCCASIONS

UNDER AFFLICTIVE CIRCUMSTANCES — OF A
TEMPORAL NATURE.

Abuses and Provocations 121

Infamy and Disgrace 124

Crosses and Disappointments.. 126
Difficulties and Perplexities... 127

Losses and Damages 128

Imminent Dangers 129

Bodily Accidents 131

Confinement and Loss of Li-
berty 133

Death of Neighbours 135

Death of dear Friends 136

OF A SPIRITUAL NATURE.

A Review of Past Sins 138

Conviction of Sin 139

A Dread of God's Wrath. 144

Doubts and Fears 146

Temptations 148

Backsliding 150

Relapse into gross Sin 152

UNDER PROSPEROUS CIRCUMSTANCES.

For Temporal Blessings 156

In a State of Prosperity 157

In Prospect of Marriage 159

On undertaking any great

Enterprise 161

When going from Home 163

FOR PARTICULAR GRACES AND BLESSINGS.

Illumination and Knowledge.,164

Faith 167

Prayer for Power to live upon
the Promises. 168

Repentance 174

Humility 176

Tenderness of Heart 178

CONTENfR.

VI 1

OBEDIENCE.

Page

Fear of God ittO

Love of God 182

Hope in God 185

Love to Man 187

Chastity 188

Meekness lyo

Patience 192

Mortification of Sin 194

Sincerity ibti

INCREASING SANCTIFICATION.

Increase of Grace 199

Quickening Grace 201

Assisting Grace 202

Before hearing the Word 204

After hearing the Word 205

Mindfulness of God's presence.. 207

A devout Frame 209

Communion with God 210

Comfort 213

Heavenly-Mindedness 215

Earnestness in the pursuit of
Religion 217

Constancy in the profession of

Religion 220

Zeal in the practice of it 222

Delight in God's Service 225

Wisdom to fill up our station . 22(>
Wisdom to conduct ourselves

aright 228

Wisdom to use our speech

aright 231

Persevering Grace 233

Preparation lor Death 235

PRAYERS FOR THE USE OF PARTICULAR PERSONS.

A Minister 237

A Magistrate 240

A Husband 243

A Wife 245

A Widow 246

An Orphan 248

An Aged Person ..249

A Child 25i

The Rich 253

The Poor 256

A Master 258

A Servant 260

A Soldier 263

A Sailor 26«i

A condemned Malei'actor 268

INTERCESSIONS.

GENERAL.

The Prosperity of the Church

of Christ 272

Reformed Churches abroad.... 274

Our own Church 276

Unity among Christians 279

The Queen and all our Rul-
ers 280

The Bishops and Ministers.. .283
Societies for the Reformation
of Manners 285

Vill

CONTENTS.

PRAYERS FOR THE NATION AT LARGE.

Page Page

War. 2*8 Friends, that are pious 301

Public Commotions 290 Friends, that appear uncon-

Infection 292 verted 302

l^rought 293 Children 305

Excessive Rains 294 Parents 306

Famine 295 Enemies 307

Thunder or Tempests 296 The Unconverted 309

Calamities of any kind 298 Hardened Sinners ...313

Benefactors. 300 All that desire our Prayers.. .315

PARTICULAR INTERCESSIONS.

A woman in Travail 317 One in Great Pain 330

A Sick Child ols One under Lingering Sick-
One Melancholy and dejected..319 ness 332

One in Trouble of Soul 321 One under Dangerous Sick-
One Lunatic and distracted.... 313 ness 333

One Stupified or Light-headed.325 One Dying 336

One Blind 327

THANKSGIVINGS.

GENERAL.

Temporal Blessings 3 '8 Victory over our Enemies 841

]?ain >39 Peace 342

Fair Weather ib. On a Public Thanksgiving

Infection Removed ib. Day 343

Plenty Restored -40

PARTICULAR TEMPORAL BLESSINGS.

A safe and good Journey 346 Deliverance from Travail 351

Deliverance from Dangers Recovery from Sickness 352

and Troubles 348

PARTICULAR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.

Conversion 355 A Prayer in the Order of the

Recovery from Backsliding.. .358 Lord's Prayer. 361

Spiritual Victory 360 A Soliloquy, by way of Para

phrase on the Creed 367

PRAYERS

AND

OFFICES OF DEVOTION.

FIRST MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY.

OLORD, thou God of our salvation ! Thou art
the hope of all the ends of the earth; upon
thee the eyes of all do wait: for thou givest unto
all life, and breath, and all things. In thee we ever
live, and move, and are ; and upon thee we con-
tinually depend for all the good that we either
have, or hope for. Still thou watchest over us
for good, and takest care of us in our sleep, when
we are incapable of caring for ourselves: daily
thou renewest to us thy tender mercies: every
morning affords us fresh occasions for praise and
thanksgiving. And thou hast assured us by thy
word, that, if we commit our affairs to thee, and
acknowledge thee in all our ways, thou wilt
establish our thoughts, and direct our path. We
desire therefore, O Lord, still to put ourselves
under thy gracious conduct, and thy fatherly pro-
tection : and we beg the guidance, and blessing,
and assistance of thy good Spirit, to choose our

, -FIRST MORNING PRAYER

ee for us; and to dispose of us, and of
all that concerns us, to the glory of thy name.

O Lord, withdraw not thy tender mercies from
us; take not away the comforts of thy presence,
or the assistance of thy Spirit, on account of
our manifold abuses of thy grace and goodness.
Never punish our past sins, by giving us over to
the love and power of our sins : but give us truly
penitent hearts, and grant us thy merciful dis-
charge from all the guilt that lies upon us. And
grant us, O good God, the comfortable sense of
thine acceptance of us in the Son of thy love,
that our souls may bless thee, and all that is
within us may praise thy holy name.

And O that we may find the joy of the Lord
to be our strength ; that we may be strengthened
by it against all our sins; especially the sins to
which we are most addicted, and whereof we are
most in danger: make us also more ready to every
good work, and better disposed for all the duties
which we owe to Thee, our neighbour and our-
selves; that herein we may exercise ourselves, to
have always a conscience void of offence, towards
God, and towards men.

O help us to walk circumspectly, not as fools,
but as wise; carefully redeeming the time that
we have lost, and conscientiously improving all
those seasons of grace which thou art pleased to
put into our hands. And while we are upon earth,
O give us all things needful and convenient for
our present pilgrimage: sanctify to us all our

FOR A FAMILY. ll

enjoyments, and all our occupations in the world :
let our crosses also, and our comforts, and all
events that now befall us, be improved to thy
glory; till, through the merits, of thy Son, and
the multitude of thy mercies, we are conducted
safely to be ever with the Lord. Amidst all our
other affairs in this world, O let us never forget
or neglect the one thing needful; but may it be
our principal care so to demean ourselves every
day, that we may give up our account with joy
in the great day of thine appearing.

O gracious Tather! keep us, we beseech thee,
this day in thy fear and favour; and help us to
live to thine honour and glory. If thou guide us
not, we shall run into errors; if thou preserve us
not, we shall fall into dangers. O let thy good
Providence be our defence and security: and let
thy Holy Spirit be our guide and counsellor in
all our ways. And grant that we may do those
things which are agreeable to thy will, and
acceptable in thy sight, through Jesus Christ; in
whose sacred name and words, we close our im-
perfect petitions. Our Father, &c.

Let thy grace, O Lord Jesus Christ ; thy love,
O heavenly Father; thy comfortable fellowship,
O holy blessed Spirit, be with us, and with all
the Israel of God, this day, and for evermore.
A men.

12 SECOND MORNING PRAYER

A SECOND MORNING PRAYER FOR A
FAMILY.

OLORD, thou art the God, whose we are and
whom we ought to serve, with all the abilities
wherewith thou hast blessed us. We are bound
by all the obligations of thy laws, and by all the
endearments of thy love, to be faithful in the
covenant of our God, and to abound in the work
of the Lord. But we desire to humble ourselves
before thee, that our lives have been so unservice-
able to thee, and so full of provocation against
thee: that the dishonour which we have done
thee, O Lord, has so far exceeded all our services;
that we have lived to ourselves, rather than to
thee; and have served our own lusts and plea-
sures, more than thy holy blessed will. O how
have we disbelieved thy truths, disobeyed thy
commands, disregarded thy promises and threats!
How have we resisted and defeated all the
gracious methods, which thou hast used to re-
claim us from our evil ways, and to bring us
over to thyself.

We have sinned against thee our God, and
done infinite wrong and damage to our own souls :
by our sins we have spoiled arid destroyed our-
selves. But it is not in us, O Lord, to recover
and save ourselves : in thee, O heavenly Father,
in thee alone, is all our help. Yea, thou hast
laid help upon One that is mighty, and that is

FOR A FAMILY. 13

able to save to the uttermost all that come to Thee
through him : through him thou hast encouraged
us to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
every time of need. In him, therefore, we beg,
O Lord, that thou wilt be reconciled to us, and
make thyself known to us as a Father of mercies,
and a God of all consolation.

For his sake, enable us also (we beseech thee)
to demean ourselves as becomes the children of
God, and the members and followers of Christ.
O put such principles of grace and holiness into
our hearts, as may make us to hate all iniquity,
and to abhor every false way. Put thy Spirit
within us, causing us to walk in thy statutes,
and to keep thy judgments, and to do them. Do
not merely lay thy commands upon us; but be
pleased, O Lord, to enable us for the performance
of them. And so quicken us by thy grace, that
we may make it our meat and drink to do thy
will; and may run the way of thy command-
ments with enlarged hearts. O make our services
acceptable to thee while we live; and our souls
ready for thee when we die. And as long as we
are in this world, keep us, O Lord our God, from
the evil of it, and from the snares and dangers to
which thou knowest we are continually exposed.
O make our passage safe through all the changes,
troubles, and temptations ot this mortal life, and
bring us finally to the unchangeable glories and
felicities of the eternal world.

14 THIRD MORNING PRAYER

Be merciful to us, good Lord, and bless us,
and keep us this day, in all our ways. Let us
take nothing in hand which is not warranted by
thy word. O let us be in the fear of the Lord
all the day long: let thy fear be ever before our
eyes to restrain us from the things which are dis-
pleasing to thee, and destructive to our own
souls. And let thy love abound in our hearts,
and sweetly and powerfully constrain us to per-
form whatever is acceptable in thy sight, through
him that hath loved and redeemed us, even the
Lord our righteousness: in whose blessed name
and words we continue praying, Our Father, &c.

The blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, be with us, and with all that
belong to us, this day, and for evermore. Amen.

A THIRD MORNING PRAYER.

OLORD GOD, merciful and gracious, long-
suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth! thou keepest mercy for thousands; thou
pardonest iniquity, transgression, and sin; thou
retainest not thine anger for ever, because thou
delightest in mercy; how excellent is thy loving-
kindness, O God! therefore do the sons of men put
their trust under the shadow of thy wings; and
therefore do we desire still to look up to that boun-
tiful hand of thine, from whence we have received
all our good things. O Lord our God ! be thou

FOR A FAMILY. 15

pleased to look down mercifully upon us, and be
gracious and favourable to us, as thou usest to be
unto those that love thy name. O look not upon the
sin of our nature, nor the sins of our hearts and
lives, which are more than we can remember, and
greater than we can express; behold, we are vile;
we are exceeding guilty; we acknowledge that
it is of thy mercies we are not consumed, even
because thy compassions fail not. But look upon
us in mercy, through the merits and mediation of
thy Son our Saviour; pity us for his sake who
did no sin, and was manifested to take away our
sins: by him let us have access to thy Majesty;
and for his sake bestow upon us the blessings
which we so greatly need. Thou hast treasured
up in Him an infinite fulness of all that we can
ever want or wish: O that we may all receive
out of his fulness grace sufficient for us! Let us
receive from him those gifts which He is now
empowered and commissioned to bestow; those
gifts which are the purchase of his blood, and the
necessary means of our salvation. Pour down
upon us the abundance of thy grace. Accept and
justify our persons; renew and sanctify our souls;
and so transform us into thy blessed image, that
we may be meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of thy saints in light.

Teach us, O Lord our God, to use this world
without abusing it, and to enjoy the things of it,
without suffering them to engross our affections.
Whatever we have of the world, O let it be sane-

16 THIRD MORNING PRAYER

tified to us by the word of God, and prayer. And
whatsoever we want of the things of this life, O
Lord our heavenly Father, leave us not destitute
of those things that accompany salvation: but do
thou adorn our souls with all the graces of thy
Holy Spirit, that we may glorify thee in all things,
and that our conversation may be such as be-
cometh the Gospel of Christ.

Help us, O gracious Lord, in the whole of our
duty to thee our God; and also in the discharge
of all relative duties which we owe to men,
whether superiors, equals, or inferiors; enable us
to walk wisely toward them which are without,
and kindly toward them that are within. Let us
never cast a stumbling-block in the way of others,
or cause thy holy name to be blasphemed through
our misconduct: but let us pass the time of our
sojourning here in fear; that, having glorified
thee on earth, we may be glorified by thee in the
great day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And now that thou hast renewed thy mercies
to us this morning, help us gracious God, to re-
new our desires and endeavours to serve and
honour thee. O restrain us from the evils and
follies into which we are prone to fall; and
quicken us to the offices and duties which we are
averse to perform. And grant that we may think,
and speak, and act as becometh saints; ever re-
membering that we are bought with the precious
blood of Christ, and ever striving to live unto
him, who died for us and rose again; to whom,

FOR A FAMILY. J7

with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory

and honour world without end. Amen. Our
Father, &c.

A FOURTH MORNING PRAYER.

OLORD GOD, that hearest prayer, and art
nigh to all that call upon thee in truth, we are
moved by our own necessities,, and encouraged by
thy daily mercies, to renew our supplications at
the throne of thy grace. And we beg of thee, who
fashionest all the hearts of the sons of men, to
prepare our hearts, that we may now come into
thy holy presence, and call upon thy blessed
name in a due and acceptable manner. O ! pour
upon us the spirit of grace and of supplication ;
let thy good Spirit help our infirmities; and
teach us to ask such things, and in such a way,
as shall be most agreeable to thy will, and most
advantageous to our souls.

Behold ! we, who are but poor worms, and
sinful dust and ashes, have taken upon us now
to speak unto thee, the sovereign Majesty of
heaven and earth : we have too just cause to be
afraid lest our great and manifold sins should
have provoked thee to hide thy face from us, and
to shut up thy loving-kindness in displeasure.
We know that we have done wickedly, in not
hearkening to the calls of thy word, or yielding
to the motions of thy Spirit. Our iniquities are

18 FOURTH MORNING PRAYER

increased over our heads ; our trespass is grown
up even unto heaven; and our sins are a sore
burden, too heavy for us to bear. If thou, O
Lord, shouldst enter into judgment with us for
our actions, we could not answer thee for one of
a thousand ; we must lay our hands upon our
mouths, and plead guilty before thee, and place
our whole dependence upon t&y mercy,

O God, be merciful to us, miserable sinners :
for the sake of Him, whom thou hast exalted to
be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to
thy people, and forgiveness of sins, be merciful
to us, we pray thee; and heal our souls, that
have greatly sinned against thee. O heal our
backslidings, renew us to repentance, and estab-
lish our goings in thy holy ways : let us not be
so wavering, and bent to backslide ; let us not so
revolt from thee, and return to folly after thou
hast spoken peace unto us; but may we go on
conquering and to conquer all the enemies of
our souls ; till every obstacle to our salvation be
surmounted, and Satan himself be bruised under
our feet.

O thou God of all grace ! bring such thoughts
to our minds., and lay such considerations upon
our hearts, as thou knowest will effectually keep
us from our iniquity, and prevail with us to do
thy will : put thy fear in our hearts, that we may
not any more depart from thee ; and preserve us
holy and unblameable unto the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. In the mean time sanctify

FOR A FAMILY. ID

to us all the dispensations of thy Providence, and
bless us in every condition and relation of life.
Make us humble in an high estate, or contented
in a low one ; nor let us ever forget, that the care
of our souls is the one thing needful. O make us
mindful of this, that we may follow incessantly
those things which shall bring us peace at the
last.

Dispose of us, we beseech, and of all that con-
cerns us, to the glory of thy name. O keep us
at all times, and in all places and companies, from
the evil of sin, and from all other evils to which
the greatness of our sins has made us liable.
And take thou, O heavenly Father, the gracious
charge and government of us this day ; and so
guide us by thy counsel, that hereafter thou
mayest receive us to glory. All this we ask
through thy tender mercies, and our Saviour's
abundant merits; in whose own words, we beg
all things needful for ourselves and others, at thy
hands. Our Father, &c.

A FIFTH MORNING PRAYER.

OLORD our God ! thy name is most excellent
in all the earth : thou hast set up thy glory
above the heavens, and thou art worthy to be
celebrated with everlasting praises of men and
angels : for thou hast created all things, and for
thy pleasure they are, and were created. Thy

20 FIFTH MORNING PKAYEH

hands, O Lord, have made us and fashioned us;
and thou hast breathed into our nostrils the
breath of life; yea, still thou boldest our souls
in life, and givest us every good thing that makes
our life a blessing and comfort to us. Thou hast
formed us for thyself that we should show forth
thy praise, and that we should live to thy glory,
as we do live continually upon thy bounty.

But, O Lord our God ! we have in no respect
glorified thee as we ought : yea, rather, how
greatly have we dishonoured thee in the whole
course of our lives ! Time after time have we
forgotten thee, the gracious giver of all our good
things, who art never unmindful of us. O how
soon have we been weary of doing thee service,
who art never weary of doing us good ! We
have not only neglected thy word, but have been
disobedient to thy word, and have walked after
our own foolish and hurtful lusts, which might
long since have drowned us in destruction and
perdition.

For these things we desire to pour out our
hearts, and to humble our sinful selves here be-
fore thee ; and for the sake of that mercy of
thine in Christ Jesus, which has moved thee to
spare us so long, and to do so much for us al-
ready, we intreat thee to pity us. Give us re-
pentance and pardon for all that is past, wherein
we have offended thee ; whether in omitting our
duty, or failing in it, or doing contrary to it.
Howsoever we have transgressed, O humble us

FOR A FAMILY. 21

duly under the sense of it; and, for thy dear
Son's sake, absolve us thoroughly from the guilt
of it.

And strengthen us, good Lord, with might by
thy Spirit in the inner man; that we may be
more watchful against temptation, and more vic-
torious over our corruptions. O destroy in us
every vicious inclination, every evil habit, every
rebellious motion, that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, and of Christ Jesus our Lord.
And increase and confirm in us, still more and
more, the graces of thy Holy Spirit, especially
those which thou knowest to be most wanting in
us, and most necessary for us. Fill us with the
knowledge of thy will, with faith in thy pro-
mises, and with the fear and love of thy holy
name. Give us whatsoever shall make our lives
more comfortable to ourselves, more profitable to
others, and more honourable to thee our God.
And, whatever be our condition as to the con-
cerns of this present time, may we still be found
in the way of our duty, fearing God and working
righteousness: may we secure our interest in the
great Saviour of the world, that when all earthly
help shall fail us, thou mayest take us up, and
be the strength of our hearts, and our portion for
ever.

Day by day we magnify thee, O Lord, who
art making every day a further addition to thy
mercies. We bless thee for our last night's pre-
servation and protection, and for the rest aiul

22 SIXTH MORNING PRAYER

refreshment which thou hast given us therein.
O cause us to hear thy loving-kindness in the
morning, for in thee do we trust; cause us to
know the way wherein we shall go, for we lift
up our souls to thee. Cast us not away from
thy presence ; take not thy Holy Spirit from us :
but direct all our ways to please thee our God,
that thou mayest crown us with blessing and good
success. Help us to see thy power, to own thy
presence, to admire thy wisdom, and to love thy
goodness in all thy creatures. And by all the
comforts of creatures, draw us still nearer to
thyself, the blessed Creator of every comfort;
and let our meditations of God be sweet as well
as frequent, that delighting ourselves in the
Lord, we may obtain the desire of our hearts.
Such thy mercy and grace we beg for ourselves,
and all ours, and thine, every where, in our great
Mediator's form of prayer, Our Father, £c.

A SIXTH MORNING PRAYER.

TT7E do here present ourselves this morning be-
T y fore thy glorious Majesty, most blessed Lord
God, desiring to pay unto thee that tribute of
homage and service, of prayer and praise, which
is so justly due. We desire to approach thee in
such a manner, that thou mayest mercifully ac-
cept both us and our services, at the hands of
Jesus Christ. In his great name we come to

FOR A FAMILY. 23

thee at thy command, and worship at thy foot-
stool : in his name we implore thy pardon ; we
intreat thee to give us an increase of thy grace,
and fresh tokens of thy love. We are not worthy
indeed that thou shouldst take notice of us, or
be intreated by us : but worthy is the Lamb,
that was slain to take away the sins of the world ;
worthy is the Lamb, that thou shouldst for his
sake do more for us than we can ask or even
think : for he has fulfilled those holy laws which
we have broken, and perfectly satisfied thy jus-
tice for all our transgressions of them. In him
thou art a God gracious and merciful, slow to
anger and of great kindness even to the chief of
sinners : in him thou art reconciled to those who
deserve nothing but to be forsaken and abhorred
by thee. We acknowledge that to us belong
shame and confusion of face : our sins have been
so multiplied, that we might well expect thy
judgment and fiery indignation : and if thou
shouldst be extreme to mark what is done amiss,
we could not escape the curses of thy holy law.

But, O gracious Father, regard not what we
have done against thy Majesty; but rather re-
gard what our blessed Saviour has done for our
souls : consider not what we have made our-
selves, but what he is made of thee our God
unto us. And O that Christ may be to every
one of us (what he is to all thy faithful people)
wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and
redemption ! Let his precious blood cleanse us

24 SIXTH MORNING PRAYER

from all our sins ; and let the grace of thy Holy
Spirit renew and sanctify our souls. Righteous
Father, subdue, we pray thee, our iniquities, and
mortify our lusts ; quicken us to all the duties
of thy holy service, and enable us to perform
them with profit and delight. O let not sin
reign in our mortal bodies, that we should obey
it in the lusts thereof. Let there be no sin in
us which is not felt and hated, bewailed and re-
sisted by us : let us approve our very hearts to
thee, the searcher of them ; and let all our ways
be pleasing in thy sight.

O teach us to know thee our God; and enable
us to do thy will, as we ought to do. Give us
hearts to fear thee, and to love thee : cause us
to trust in thee, and to adhere with faithfulness
unto thee. Let no temptations draw us, nor any
tribulations drive us, from thee : but let all thy
dispensations to us be received as messengers of
thy love to our souls ; and let all thy dealings
with us bring us nearer to thy blessed self,
and make us fitter for thy heavenly kingdom.
Quicken us, O Lord, in our dulness; that, instead
of dishonouring thee by our lifeless and listless
services, we may abound in thy work, and be
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Make us
also faithful in all our intercourse with our
neighbours. Make us ready to do good, and to
bear evil : make us just and kind, merciful and
meek, peaceable and patient, sober and temper-
ate, humble and self-denying, inoffensive and

FOR A FAMILY. 25

exemplary in our conduct ; that so glorifying
thee here upon earth, we may, at our departure
hence, he received into the joy of our Lord, and
be for ever glorified in thy heavenly kingdom.

O thou that hast kept us alive to this day,
and hast refreshed us during the night season,
renew thy mercy to us together with this morn-
ing light. Thou that makest the outgoings of
the morning and evening to rejoice, lift up the
light of thy countenance upon us,, and make us
glad with the tokens of thy love : and as thou art
ever present with us, O make us ever sensible of
thy presence, that we may duly remember thee
in all our ways, and wisely demean ourselves in
all our affairs. Be with us, good Lord, at our
going out, arid our coming in : and let thy grace
follow us this day, and all the days of our life,
O never leave us, never, never forsake us ; but
be our guide unto death, in death our comfort,
and after death our everlasting portion. O hear
us from heaven, thy dwelling-place ; and, when
thou hearest, have mercy; forgive the sins of our
persons, and the sins of our prayers: and do
more for us, than we are worthy to expect at thy
hands ; for his sake, who alone is worthy : in
whose comprehensive words we sum up all our
desires, Our Father, &cx

26 SEVENTH MOUSING PRAYER

A SEVENTH MORNING PRAYER.

OLORD God Almighty, thou art the sove-
reign Majesty of heaven and earth, against
whom all our sins have been committed, and by
whom alone they can be pardoned ! there is none
but thee, by whom our iniquities can be subdued,
our souls be sanctified, or our necessities sup-
plied. But thou art able, and also ready to hear
and help, to bless and save, thy people that call
upon thee ; thou delightest to show mercy, and
lovest the occasions of glorifying thy compassion.
We come to thee therefore, O Lord, begging
that mercy, which thou knowest we extremely
want, and grace to help us in this time of our
need. We beg the same for the sake of thine
infinitely beloved Son, who alone is worthy, and
in whose precious blood is all our trust.

We are unclean, Lord, we are unclean ; and
thou mayest well abhor our guilty souls : but O
look upon us in the Son of thy love; and prepare
us for the mercies which thou hast treasured up
for us in him. Make us to feel the burden and
the bitterness of our sins; nor let us ever at-
tempt to cover and conceal them, lest they find
us out at the last, and overwhelm us with shame
and misery. Holy Father! carry on with power
thy great work, even the work of faith, and the
sanctification of our souls. Quicken us, O Lord
our God, and stir us up to thy work ; arid assist

FOR A FAMILY. 27

us in the performance of all our duties, which of
ourselves thou knowest we are unable to per-
form. Work in us to will and to do^ of thy good
pleasure, establish the things, O God, which
thou hast already wrought for us ; and go on to
work mightily upon our hearts by thy grace, till
our souls are fitted for the enjoyment of thy glory.
Gracious Lord, thy mercies are fresh and new
to us every morning. We have laid us down
and slept, arid awaked again ; for thou hast sus-
tained us : thou hast kept us from the terrors of
the night, and from all evil accidents; so that
we are once more risen in peace and safety.
Glory be to thee, O God of our salvation, who
art still so mindful of us, so merciful unto us.
Go on, we pray thee, to be good to us this day,
and teach us how to demean ourselves aright, and
to order our affairs to thy glory. O direct our
undertakings, and prosper our endeavours. Rule
our hearts in thy fear and love, and keep us liv-
ing to thy praise and honour. Behold, we com-
mit ourselves to thee, and shelter ourselves under
the shadow of thy wings : O keep us from evil,
and help us to do that which is good and pleas-
ing to our God, through Jesus Christ. Give us.
Lord, all that we have asked as we should ; for-
give us all that we have asked amiss ; and be-
stow on us all things needful, which we should
have asked ; and which we continue to ask, in
the comprehensive words of thy dear Son — Our
Father, &c.

!
|

28 FIRST EVENING PRAYER

FIRST EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY

OLORD our God ! thou art infinitely great, and
infinitely good. Thy glory is above all our
thoughts, and thy mercies are more than can be
numbered. O what cause have we to admire,
and bless, and praise thee, for making us the
objects of thy love, and the living monuments of
thy goodness ! When we survey thy glorious
perfections, especially as they shine forth in the
person of Jesus Christ, we are encouraged to
come unto thee, we are emboldened to call thee
Father. And though we have great and many
sins to confess, yet do we look up with confi-
dence, trusting that thou wilt pardon them, and
give us power from on high to mortify and sub-
due them.

[]Thou didst create us,, O Lord, after thine
own blessed image, in a holy and happy estate :
but we have made ourselves vile and miserable ;
we are no longer upright, but have sought out
many inventions : we are become averse to good,
and prone to evil ; yea, so full are we of all
iniquity, that we are a mystery to ourselves ; we
wonder at the depravity of our own hearts, and
are astonished that thou hast not long since cut
us off in anger, and shut us up under final de-
spair of mercy. But thou hast declared thy
willingness to be reconciled even to thine enemies ;
yea, thou hast sent thine only Son into the world

FOR A FAMILY. 29

F.>r this very end : thou hast sent him, that all
luight believe in him; and that whosoever be-
iieveth in him, should not perish but have ever-
lasting life. O Lord,, we believe, help our un-
belief : and give us true repentance towards
God, and right faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ;
that we may be of the number of those who re-
pent and believe to the saving of their souls.

And save us, O good Lord, from the love and
course of this present evil world, and from every
self-destroying way which we are tempted to
follow. Make us a way to escape out of all the
snares of temptation, wherewith we have been
entangled; and let us so experience the bitter--
ness of sin and the excellence of thy ways, that
we may never regard either the allurements or
discouragements of this sinful world. Establish,
strengthen, settle us, O Lord : that going forth
in thy strength, we may do thy will to all well-
pleasing, and continue in thy fear to our lives'
end.]

While we supplicate thy mercy for ourselves,
we would humbly implore thy blessing, O Lord,
on all those whom we ought to remember in our
prayers. O bring nigh unto thee all those that
are yet afar off! and make manifest the savour
of thy knowledge in every place : let such as
yet sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
behold the light of thy truth, and the joy of
thy salvation. O that all who name the name
of Christ may depart from iniquity, and so live

SO FIRST EVENING PRAYER

up to their profession, as to give no just occasion
for thine enemies to blaspheme ! Let it be the
ambition of all thy people to adorn the doctrine
of God our Saviour in all things, and to put
to silence the ignorai... of foolish men by well
doing.

Be gracious and favourable, O Lord, to thy
church, and especially to that part of it which
thou hast planted in this nation. Arise, O God,
and plead thine own cause, and maintain thy
holy religion, which thou hast so long established
amongst us. O let not the enemies of thy church
ever have cause to say, that they have prevailed
against thy people ; but let those that espouse
thy cause, and stand up for the defence of thy
truth, go on and prosper; and ever have cause
to say, The Lord le magnified who hath pleasure
in the prosperity of his servants.

Bless, with the choicest of thy blessings, the
Queen, whom thou hast put in authority over us.
Protect her person, direct her councils, and pros-
per all her endeavours for the peace and welfare
of her dominions. Give to all magistrates wis-
dom and courage to defend thy truth, and to do
right to all. Make all ministers to be ensamples
to the flock, in all righteousness and holiness of
living. And establish all of us to be an holy
people to thyself; granting us one heart, and ono
way, that we may fear thee for ever, for the
good of us and of our children after us.

Comfort all who want the comforts which we

FOR A FAMILY. 31

enjoy ; and relieve the necessities of all thine
afflicted people throughout the world. Remem-
ber all our friends and benefactors, our kindred
after the flesh, and all who are near and dear
unto us ; remember them with the favour which
thou bearest to thy people. Make them, O
Lord, such as thou wouldst have them to be, and
such as thou wilt mercifully accept to thy favour
here, and to thy kingdom hereafter. Look also
upon our enemies ; forgive them, and turn their
hearts; and enable us to forgive them, as we
hope for forgiveness at thy hands. Enable us to
overcome their evil with good ; and so to please
thee in all our ways, that thou mayest make our
enemies to be at peace with us.

Hear us, O God of the spirits of all flesh.
Hear us both for ourselves and others ; above
all, O hear the Son of thy love, pleading for us
at thy right hand ; hear his all-prevailing inter-
cessions for us, and for all the members of his
mystical body. To him we commit our cause,
and to thee through him; trusting in thy tender
mercy, and ascribing to him, to thyself, and to
thy blessed Spirit, all possible honour, might,
majesty, and dominion, both now and ever.
Amen.

£2 SECOND EVENING PRAYER

A SECOND EVENING PRAYER FOR A
FAMILY.

UR ever blessed and most gracious God !
thou art the Lord and Giver of our lives, and
of all the blessings we enjoy. To thee we owe
ourselves, and all that we are capable of render-
ing unto thee. For by thee, O Lord, we were
created ; and through thy good Providence it is,
that we have been spared and provided for unto
this present time. From thee, our God, comes
till our help; and in thee is reposed all our hope.
Thou art the bountiful giver of all the good that
our souls desire, and the merciful withholder of
all the evil that our sins deserve. We acknow-
ledge thy great and daily goodness to us, and our
own exceeding un worthiness of the least of all
thy mercies. We take shame and confusion to
ourselves, that we have so little improved, and
so greatly abused,, all thy patience with us, and all
the various instances of thy bounty to us. We
confess it to be a heinous aggravation of our of-
fences, that we have done so much against thee,
after all the great things thou hast done for us.
]3ut we desire, O Lord, to be humbled for our
offences ; and we entreat thy gracious favour, in
Christ Jesus, for the pardon of them. Forgive
us, we pray thee (for his sake), all the sins that
ever we have committed against thee, and absolve
us from all the evil whereof we now stand guilty

FOR A FAMILY. 33

before tliee. And, being justified by faith, let
us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus
Christ.

£And as we pray, that thou wilt be to us a
Father of mercies, and a God of consolation; so
we pray that thou wilt make us followers of God,
as dear children; ever jealous over our hearts,
and watchful over our ways; continually fearing
to offend, and endeavouring to please thee; and
enable us to keep our hearts with all diligence,
that they may never be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin. Thou knowest, O Lord,
our weakness, and our danger; thou knowest
how unable we are of ourselves to resist the
smallest temptation, while yet we are continually
exposed to the assaults of our subtle enemy, to
the allurements of an ensnaring world, and to the
corruptions of our own treacherous heart. We
pray, therefore, good Lord, that thou wilt arm
us with the whole armour of God, and uphold us
with thy free Spirit, and evermore watch over
us for good. Especially in the times of our sorest
trials, let us experience the strongest aids of thy
heavenly grace, that we may never fall a prey to
those deadly enemies that seek to devour us.

And teach us, O our God, to know the day of
grace, and the time of our visitation, and to see
the things of our peace, before they be hid from
our eyes. And while we have time, O enable us
to use and improve it to those great ends for
which thou art pleased to continue it to us. Let
3

34 SECOND EVENING PRAYER

us not neglect that precious talent, but employ it
with all diligence and circumspection for the se-
curii»g of our eternal welfare.]

And seeing thou art pleased yet to hold our
souls in life, and to make us find and feel, by
every day's experience, how abundantly gracious
and merciful thou art, O give us hearts more sen-
sible of thy love, more affected with thy mercy,
and more thankful for those continued favours,
which thou art pleased to multiply unto us. And
help us to show forth thy praise, not only by
speaking good of thy name, but by ordering our
conversation aright, and by adorning the gospel
of God our Saviour in all things.

And now, most merciful Father, we humbly
recommend ourselves, and all that we have, to
thy care and protection; beseeching thee, for thy
dear Son's sake, to preserve and defend, to bless
and keep us, both in soul and body. We know
that by reason of our weakness and wickedness,
we are exposed to many and great dangers ; but
we commit ourselves to thee, trusting that thou
wilt sustain us. O be with us through the night
season, and grant us comfortable repose; that our
frail nature being refreshed, and our decayed
strength renewed, we may rise again better fitted
for the duties of the following day, if thou shalt
be pleased to add another day to our lives. And
as thou daily multipliest thy mercies to us, be
pleased also to increase our repentance, and to
renew us daily after thine image : that every day

FOR A FAMILY, 35

may not only bring us nearer to thy kingdom,
but make us fitter for the enjoyment of that glory
which thou hast prepared for them that love
thee.

Accept these our prayers, most gracious and
merciful Lord God : and, for all the good things
we have received, or at present enjoy, or hope for
in future from thy bountiful hands, enable us to
render our grateful thanks: and let it be our
employment now, as we hope it shall be hereafter,
abundantly to utter the memory of thy great
goodness, and to sing of thy praise without ceas-
ing.— Amen and Amen.

A THIRD EVENING PRAYER.

OLORD, thou art our gracious God, our chief
good, and our most merciful Father in Christ
Jesus : in his great name, and through his pre-
vailing mediation, we are encouraged still to pre-
sent our persons and our prayers before thee. It
is a privilege which we must acknowledge our-
selves utterly unworthy to enjoy, that thou shouldst
admit us into thy service, yea into fellowship with
thy blessed self. We do not presume to appear
in the presence of thy glorious Majesty, in our
own name, or trusting in any righteousness of
our own; being conscious of so much guilt, as
might make us tremble for fear of thy judgments.

3(J THIKD EVENING PR AYES

But we come in the name and mediation of thy
dear Son, who has fully satisfied thy justice for
our cins, and continually intercedes for us at thy
right hand. Thou lovest him infinitely above
all, and delightest to honour him in sparing and
accepting the most unworthy sinners upon his
account. O deliver us, most gracious Lord, for
his sake, from all the transgressions, for which
our hearts condemn us ; and from all, of which
thou, who art greater than our hearts, knowest
us to be guilty. And seal to us a full pardon,
in his most precious blood, which speaks better
things on our behalf than we are able to speak
for ourselves.

And may the time past of our lives suffice to
have lived to ourselves, and to have served our
own lusts and pleasures. O put an end to all
our presumptuous and treacherous dealings ; and
grant us new and contrite hearts, that we may
tremble at thy presence, and hate and abandon
every evil way. Engage to thyself, O blessed
Lord, the deepest thoughts of our minds, the
choicest affections of our hearts, and the main
tendency and activity of our souls. O let us de-
light in attendance upon thee, and in communion
with thee ; nor let the vanities of this world ever
divert us from thy service, or interrupt our en-
joyment of thee.

[[Hear us, O Lord, for ourselves, and let our
supplications also ascend before thee in the be-
half of all men living. Send thy word, and the

FOR A FAMILY. 37

means of grace, to such as are yet destitute of
them ; and make them efficacious, and a savour
of life, to those who now enjoy them. Convert
the uncoverted, and perfect thy good work where
thou hast begun it. Give a check to all profane-
ness and ungodliness, that presumptuous sinners
may be ashamed_, and that the wickedness of the
wicked may come to an end. O make thy church
to increase and flourish, and thy servants to pre-
vail and rejoice. Be gracious and favourable to
this our native land, to the head and governors
of it, and to all the inferior and particular mem-
bers. O do thou rule all our rulers, counsel al]
our counsellors, teach all our teachers, and order
all the public affairs, to the glory of thy name,
and to the welfare of our church and state. Avert
from us, good Lord, the judgments which we feel
or fear ; and continue to us the many temporal
and spiritual advantages which through thy fa-
vour we enjoy. And, notwithstanding all the
devices of our enemies, and all the heinous pro-
vocations of our sins, O be thou still our recon-
ciled God, and let us be thy happy, thy peculiar
people.

Look down, O gracious Father, on all the sons
and daughters of affliction : mercifully regard
them under the pressure of their troubles, and
think thoughts of pity and compassion towards
them. O sanctify thy fatherly corrections to
them, support them under their several burdens,
and in thy good time deliver them from the fur-

THIRD EVENING PRAYEB

nace into which they are cast. Be gracious to
all our friends and neighbours, reward our bene-
factors,, and bless our relations with the choicest
of thy blessings. Bless also our enemies, and
reconcile them both to us and to thyself. Dwell
in all the habitations which thou hast made houses
of prayer, and with all the families who call upon
thy name. Let thy heavenly blessings, and thy
saving grace, descend and rest upon this family.
O guide us, and keep us ; make us wise and faith-
ful in our duty, and prosperous in all our lawful
undertakings. Bless all our present circum-
stances to us, and fit us for whatsoever changes
we may be called to experience. O teach us how
to want, and how to abound ; and whether we be
in a prosperous or suffering condition, secure our
hearts to thyself, and make us upright before
thee.]

And now, O Lord, be pleased to accept our
evening sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving : we
would glorify thee the Father of mercies, and
the fountain of all goodness, for the mercies of
the day past, and for the goodness that has fol-
lowed us all the days of our life. Our lives have
been filled with thy mercies, and thou hast
abounded towards us in loving-kindness : infinite
has been the variety of the sweet and comfortable
blessings with which thou hast loaded us. Thou
hast passed by our innumerable sins, as though
thou hadst not seen them ; and thou art still en-
compassing us with mercies on every side. Im-

FOR A FAMILY. 39

print, therefore, and preserve upon our hearts a
lively and grateful sense of all thy kindness to
us : let our souls bless thee ; let all that is within
us praise thy holy name ; yea, let us give thee
thanks from the ground of the heart, and praise
our God, whilst we have our being. Thy patience
with us, thy care over us, and thy continual
mercy to us, demand our incessant praises : to
thee, therefore, O our heavenly Father, let all
thanks and praise, and love and obedience, and
honour and glory, be rendered by us, and by all
the Israel of God, henceforth and for evermore. —
Amen.

A FOURTH EVENING PRAYER.

OLORD, the infinite, incomprehensible God,
who wast before all, art above all, and wilt for
ever be the same! Thou hast heaven for thy
throne, and the earth for thy footstool. Thou art
here and everywhere present; thou compassest
our path, and our lying down, and art thoroughly
acquainted with all our ways. Thou searchest
our hearts, and triest our reins; thou knowest
the dulness and hardness, the vanity and deceit-
fulness of our hearts ; thou seest how difficult we
find it to bring our souls into an holy frame, and
to keep them in a state fit to attend upon thy
heavenly Majesty. We were born in sin, and in
sin have we lived : daily have we added sin to

40 FOURTH EVENING PRAYEB

sin, and have made ourselves children of wrath
still more by practice than we were by nature :
every day of our lives have we transgressed thy
laws, abused thy mercies, tempted thy patience,
despised thy goodness, offended thee more, even
for thy forbearance with us ; and made the very
abundance of thy grace an encouragement to con-
tinue in our sins. O Thou, whom we have so
greatly provoked, what must we not expect if
thou shouldst enter into judgment with us ? How
justly mightest thou withdraw thy tender mercies
from us, and pour out upon us thy wrath and in-
dignation to the uttermost ! How justly mightest
thou leave us to feel what an evil and bitter
thing it is to trespass against thee ; and make us
to experience the same, in that place of torment,
where is weeping and wailing and gnashing of
teeth, and from whence there is no redemption !
But thou art a God of wonderful patience to
bear with sinners ; and a God of infinite goodness
and mercy to forgive theni, when they are truly
penitent. Thou hast said, that if the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts, and return to the Lord, thou wilt have
mercy upon him, and abundantly pardon. We
humbly beg, therefore, that thou wilt be gra-
ciously pleased to stretch forth thy powerful
hand, and to loose the chains of sin wherewith
we are tied and bound. Let it be thy good
pleasure to deliver us from every weight of sin,
and from every yoke of bondage ; that our souls

FOR A FAMILY. 41

may be fitted to serve thee with that sincerity
and readiness and gladness, which thou requirest
of thy people. O help us so to see and feel, so to
hate and bewail, so to confess and forsake our
sins., that we may have a well-grounded hope of
thy forgiveness, and a comfortable persuasion
that thou hast accepted us in the Son of thy love.
And for his sake, grant thou us, O Lord, an
increase of thy grace, and such aids of thy Holy
Spirit, as may enable us to mortify our sins, and
fit us for all the duties of thy service. Make us,
O our God, to serve thee sincerely, without hy-
pocrisy ; cheerfully, without dullness ; univer-
sally, without partiality ; and constantly, without
falling away, or being weary of well doing. Thou
art not weary in doing us good ; O let us never
be weary in doing thee service. But as thou
hast pleasure in the prosperity of thy servants,
so let us take pleasure in the service of our Lord,
and abound in thy work and in thy love and
praise evermore. O fill up all that is wanting,
and reform whatever is amiss in us, and perfect
that which concerns us ; making us such in our
hearts, and in our lives, that we may obtain peace
in our souls, and be made partakers of thy hea-
venly glory. And be thou pleased to grant us
now (out of the riches of thy grace) the comfort-
able sense of thy gracious acceptance of us, and
of thy merciful intentions towards us. O speak
peace to our consciences, and say to each of our
souls, I am thy salvation ; that so we may look

42 FOURTH EVENING PRAYER

upon thee as our reconciled God and Father in
Christ Jesus.

£In his great name., and prevailing mediation,
we enlarge our petitions, in behalf of the whole
race of mankind. O that all the ends of the
world may remember themselves, and turn unto
the Lord., and see the salvation of our God ! Do
good, O God, in thy good pleasure, unto Zion,
and build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Continue
thy mercies to this guilty land, whereof we are
sinful members. Teach us to know the meaning
of thy dispensations towards us ; and help us to
improve by all thy dealings with us. O turn all
our hearts to thee, as the heart of one man : and
reform all our lives, according to the holy pattern
and precepts of our Lord ; that thou mayest
cause thine anger towards us to cease ; and mayest
go on still to take the charge of us, and never
leave nor forsake us.

Bless abundantly the queen's majesty, who
now sways the sceptre of these realms. O Lord,
preserve her life, prolong her days, and prosper
her government. Give her the hearts of her
subjects, and subdue her enemies before her.
Make her the rejoicing of thy people, and a
terror only to evil doers. O continue her long a
zealous defender of the faith, a promoter of thy
fear, and an assertor of our rights; that under her
shadow we may be in peace arid safety, enjoying
the liberty of the gospel, and the free profession
of thy holy religion. And grant unto all magis-

FOR A FAMILY. 43

trates and ministers continual supplies of thy
Holy Spirit, for the conscientious and comfortable
discharge of their several duties. O bring all
our neighbours near to thyself; and be thou a
friend to all our friends, a father to the father-
less, a husband to the widow, a refuge to the
oppressed, a physician to the sick, a helper to the
friendless, and a God of consolation to the dis-
tressed and sorrowful, whatever be their trouble
and affliction. O bJess to us, whatever thou art
pleased to allot us, and everything that befalls
us. Make all to work for our good; to build us
up in thy grace, and to help us on to thy glory.]
And as thou hast been good and kind to us the
day past, and throughout our whole lives, (for
which we desire, O Lord, humbly and thankfully
to adore thy name) so we beg, that we may ex-
perience the continuance of thy goodness to us,
and of thy fatherly care over us, this present
night. O preserve and defend, and bless and
keep us, that no evil may befall us, nor any
plague come nigh our dwelling. Give us sleep
and rest, to refresh and strengthen us for thy
service, and for the performance ot ail our duties;
and prepare us, O Lord, for our last sleep in
death, and for that great account that we must
give at the judgment-seat of Christ. O instruct
and assist us in that great work of preparation
for our everlasting state; that we may (in this
only time of preparation) finish the great work
which thou hast given us to do, before the night

44 FIFTH EVENING PRAYER

of death overtake us, wherein we cannot work,
that, whenever thou shalt be pleased to give us
the summons of death,, we may find nothing to
do but to die, and cheerfully resign our spirits
into thy gracious hands. Hear us, we intreat
thee, through the riches of thy grace, and the
worthiness of thy dear Son; in whose merits
alone we trust; and to whom, together with thy-
self and the Holy Ghost, the one God of our
salvation, be all praise, and honour, and glory,
ascribed by us, and by all thy people, from this
time forth for evermore. — Amen.

A FIFTH EVENING PRAYER.

OLORD, we desire to seek thy face, and to wait
upon thee in the duties of thy worship; and
we intreat thy gracious favour that we may be
enabled to call upon thee with our whole hearts.
To whom should we make our applications, but
unto thee, the Father of mercies, and the Foun-
tain of all goodness, who art able to do exceeding
abundantly for us, even above all that we can
ask or think; and who has declared thy willing-
ness to be importuned by us, and thy readiness
to hear and help us. O let our prayer be now
set before thee as incense, and the lifting up of
our hands be as the evening sacrifice, pleasing to
thee our God, in the Son of thy love. It is in
his blessed name alone that we have encourage-

FOR A FAMILY. 45

ment to approach thee, arid boldness to ask of
thee those things \*&hich thou knowest to be need-
ful and expedient for us. There is in ourselves
no good thing to recommend us to thy favour;
but a proneness to everything which is displeas-
ing to thy Majesty, and destructive to our souls.
We are even by nature children of wrath, a seed
of evil doers, the sinful offspring of rebellious
parents : and ever since we began to act, we have
been daily trespassing against thee, and adding
to '"the heavy score of our offences. There is
nothing in us, O Lord, but what may well pro-
voke thee to reject us: but there is enough in
thy beloved Son to procure for us the pardon of
our sins, and peace with thee. Thou didst make
him to be sin for us, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him; and that we might
be saved by his merits, when we could not be
saved by any desert of our own works. O see
our sins punished in him, even in him who was
wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for
our iniquities: and, as the chastisement of our
peace was upon him, so let the merit of his
righteousness be on us; and by his stripes let our
souls be healed.

Nor do we only beg for pardon of our sins, but
also for power against them, and grace sufficient
for us to break them off. We long to walk more
acceptably before thee, in all the duties of right-
eousness and holiness, which thy word has pre-
scribed to us. O never suffer us to be tempted

46 FIFTH EVENING PRAYER

above what we are able: but make our tempta-
tions less, or thy grace in us more sufficient to
resist them ; that no iniquities may prevail against
us, nor any presumptuous sin have dominion over
us. Make us more conformable to the pattern
and the precepts of our blessed Saviour: trans-
form us more into his holy image and likeness;
that we may not dishonour his religion, nor cause
the way of truth to be evil spoken of; but may
make our light to shine before men, to the glory
of thee our heavenly Father, and to the editica-
tion of those amongst whom we dwell.

And seeing the time of our abode in this tran-
sitory world is so very short and uncertain, and
that after our departure hence we have an ever-
lasting estate, where we must be happy or miser-
able for ever; O let us not set up our rest in this
world, as if we were at home upon earth : neither
suffer us to flatter ourselves with the hopes of
a long enjoyment of these things which perish in
in the using; but may we wait all the days of
our appointed time, till our change comes; and
not only live in expectation of it, but in the daily
serious preparation for it ; in the exercise of all
those gracious and prood works, that may make it
unto us Christ to live and gain to die; that in
life and death we may be always thine, safe in
thy hands, and acceptable in thy sight.

And together with our own wants, we com-
mend to thy mercy, O God, the necessities and
distresses of all our brethren throughout the

FOB A FAMILY. 47

world. O enlighten the ignorant, quicken the
careless, awaken the secure, convince the erro-
neous, reclaim the vicious, establish the wavering,
and comfort the dejected. Bring all to the know-
ledge of thy truth, and to a cheerful obedience
to thy holy will; that so they may attain to the
blessed hope of thy glory, and the eternal salva-
tion of their immortal souls. We pray (as more
particularly bound) for the queen, for all our
magistrates and ministers; for all our friends
and relations; for all thy servants; and for all
the afflicted throughout the world; and more
especially for those for whose happiness and sal-
vation thou knowest us to be chiefly concerned.
O do thou for us, and for them, as thou knowest
best, and most needful and expedient, for thine
own mercy's sake in Christ Jesus.

[[And as we pray to thee for what we want, so
we desire to praise thee for all that we have re-
ceived at thy hands. And blessed be thy name,
O Lord, that we have anything (yea that we have
so many things) to bless and praise thee for. O
what shall we render to the Lord for all his bene-
fits ! Dear Lord ! let not our hearts be shut and
straitened towards thee, whose hand is -every day
so open unto us : but do thou possess and enlarge
these hearts of ours with more love and greater
thankfulness to thee, that we may both give thee
thanks, and glorify thy name, for evermore.

And now that the night is upon us, and we are
ready to betake ourselves to rest, we commit our-

48 SIXTH EVENING PEAYEB

selves to thy gracious care and protection, well
knowing that thou, who never sleepest nor slum-
berest, art the watchful guardian of thy favoured
people. O watch over us, we pray thee, for good,
that none of the evils, which our sins have merited,
may befall us. Protect us both from the works,
and from the powers, of darkness; and preserve
us from all terrors and dangers through the night.
Let all our sins, this day, or at any former time
committed, be removed out of thy sight; and lift
up upon us the light of thy countenance, that we
may lie down with a sweet sense of thy favour,
and a comfortable assurance that thou hast ac-
cepted us in the Son of thy love : for whom, and
to whom, with thy eternal self, and Holy Spirit,
be all thanks and praise, and honour and glory,
ascribed by us and by all thy church, from this
time forth for evermore.] Amen.

A SIXTH EVENING PRAYER.

OLORD, our God, most high and mighty, most
wise and holy, most just and good ! Thou art
and ever wast, and ever shalt continue, unspeak-
ably blessed and glorious, above all that we are
able to express or to conceive. Thou dost not
need the services of men or angels to make the
least addition to thy glory or bliss. Men cannot
be profitable unto God; nor can our goodness
extend to the Lord. But, in kindness and love

FOR A FAMILY. 49

to our souls, thou hast been pleased to lay thy
commands upon us, and to appoint that we should
wait upon thee in the duties of thine immediate
service ; which is the blissful employment of all
the hosts of heaven. Thou humblest thyself even
when thou beholdest the things that are in hea-
ven or regardest the worship of those blessed
creatures above. O how wonderful is thy con-
descension, then, that thou shouldst look down
upon us., poor sinful worms, who dwell in houses of
clay, and whose foundation is in the dust ! Lord,
what is man that thou takest knowledge of him,
and the son of man that thou makest account of
him ! Thou canst not at all need us, or anything
of ours. O blessed God; but we all stand in con-
tinual need of thee, our only sovereign good; in
need of thy mercy and forgiveness, thy grace and
guidance, thy blessing and assistance; without
which we can never hope to escape the misery,
which is the wages due to our sins; nor ever to
attain that glory, which is the free gift of God in
Christ Jesus.

The desire of our souls, therefore, is to thy
name, O Lord, and to the remembrance of thee.
Our eyes are towards thee, and all our expecta-
tion is from thee; and still we wait, and call, and
depend upon thee, till thou have mercy upon us,
according to our several necessities, and accord-
ing to the multitude of thy tender mercies. O
remember not against us our former iniquities;
enter not into judgment with us, according to our
4

50 SIXTH EVENING PEAYEB

desert; but according to thy mercy remember
thou us, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. Blot
out our transgressions as a cloud; and justify us
freely by thy grace, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus. And bless us, O God of our
salvation, in turning us from all our iniquities,
and in giving us grace, that we may repent and
amend our lives according to thy holy word.

And to this end, be thou pleased to enlighten
our dark minds with the beams of thy saving
truth : O let us not be unwise, but understanding
what the will of the Lord is. Reform our de-
praved wills, inclining them to a cheerful com-
pliance with all the motions of thy good Spirit.
Regulate our unruly passions ; purify our corrupt
affections; and convert all the faculties of our
souls, that they may be instruments of thy glory,
as they have been of thy dishonour; and make
our bodies fit temples for thy Holy Spirit. Yea,
sanctify us wholly, in body, soul, and spirit, that
we may adorn thy gospel in all holy conversation
and godliness.

And quicken us, O Lord, to hear thy voice,
while it is called to-day; that we may make
haste, and not delay, to keep thy commandments.
O keep us frequently and affectionately mindful
of the shortness of our time, the frailty of our
lives, and the uncertainty of our continuance in
this perishable world ; where we have no continu-
ing city, but are strangers and sojourners with
thee, as all our fathers were. O let the remem-

FOR A FAMILY. 51

brance of this have a prevailing influence upon
us, to crucify the world to us, and us unto the
world: let it make us more deeply concerned for
our everlasting welfare, and more careful to im-
prove every present good for our soul's eternal
advantage. Let the work of thy grace be daily
advancing in our hearts, that we may grow in
grace as we grow in years, and be continually
ripening for the full enjoyment of thy glory.

QThe same things we beg also in behalf of all
whom we ought to remember in our prayers. O
forgive the sins, and relieve the miseries of thy
sinful creatures throughout all the world. En-
large* the borders of thy church, and add to il
daily such as shall be saved. O that all who are
called Christians may be Christians indeed* not
only believing thy word, but walking as becometh
the gospel of Christ. Let the church, which thou
hast planted amongst us, be thy continual care :
watch over it, O Lord, for good : preserve it night
and day; let no weapon formed against it prosper.
Give thy judgments also, O God, unto the queen,
that she may judge thy people righteously and
break in pieces their oppressors. Grant her still
an interest in the hearts of her people, and thy
protection from the hands of her enemies. May
she so rule and reign for thee, that she may come
to live and reign for ever with thee. Make all our
magistrates to be men fearing God, and eschew-
ing evil. And O that all who are called to serve
at thine altar, may be in a more especial manner

52 SIXTH EVENING PRAYCH

blessed with compassionate hearts, and exemplary
lives. Make them wise to win souls; make them
faithful, industrious, and successful in their sa~
cred office, as workmen that need not be ashamed.
Bless and prosper all the seminaries of sound
learning and religious education. Bless all orders
and ranks of people amongst us; let them all
know thee from the least to the greatest ; and so
order their conversation aright, that they may see
the salvation of God. Remember for good all
those who have been in any way instrumental to
our good ; and let all who have injured us, receive
forgiveness at thy hands. Look upon all that
mourn inZion; give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness, Teach those
who are in health and prosperity to remember and
provide for the time of trouble, sickness, and
death: and make all of every condition to be mind-
ful of their duty; that thou mayest remember
them in mercy, and be their God, and portion
for ever.]

Our own unworthiness would make us despair
of obtaining all these great and goods things which
we beg at thy hands, O Lord ; but the remem-
brance of thy tender mercy, and thy continual
bounty, puts life into our hopes, and encourage-
ment into our prayers, and leaves us no reason to
doubt of finding mercy with thee. And blessed
for ever be thy name, that we have so much to
say of thy goodness by our own experience : that

FOR A FAMILY. 53

them hast in so many things made us to differ
from thousands of our fellow-creatures. O good
Lord ! continue thy gracious favour to us, and
thy fatherly care over us, this night. As we go
to rest after the labours of the day, so help us
daily to do thy work, that we may enter into that
rest which remains for thy people at the close of
life. Renew to us day by day thy pardoning
mercy,, and supply us daily with thy grace ; that
we may finish our course with joy, and at the end
of this lifc be received into thy glory. All of
which we beg in the name and for the sake of
our holy Redeemer : for whom we thank thee ;
and to whom, with thyself^ O Father, and the
Holy Ghost our comforter, in the unity of the
ever blessed Trinity, be all praise, and honour,
and glory ascribed by us, and by all the Israel of
God, now and for evermore. Amen.

A SEVENTH EVENING PEAYEE.

OLORD, thou great and glorious God, infinite
in power, wisdom, and goodness ! Thou
hast created all things by thine almighty hand !
thou sustainest and orderest all things by thy wise
and righteous providence; and thy mercy is ever-
lasting, and over all thy works. O who is able
to express, who is able to conceive, the exceeding
riches of thy grace and goodness ! In what a
plentiful measure have thy bounties been poured

54 SEVENTH EVENING PRAYER

out upon us thy sinful creatures, who deserve
nothing from thee, but to be forsaken and ab-
horred by thee ! This day, and every day of our
lives, O Lord, we have tasted largely of thy
mercy, and been altogether preserved by thy
fatherly care.

But, notwithstanding all thy patience and
gracious dealings with us, and all the repeated
pledges of thy favour towards us, O how ill have
we requited thy love ! And what unsuitable re-
turns have we made for all thy great and con-
tinued goodness that we have experienced ! Be-
side the guilt of our inbred corruption, which, as
a sore burthen, hangs heavy upon us, we are
amazed at the greatness and multitude of all our
other sins that we have committed against thee ;
against the light and teachings of thy gospel ;
against the dictates and strivings of thy Spirit ;
against the love and sufferings of thy Son; against
all the patience and forbearance which thou hast
exercised towards us. O Lord, we have given
thee so great provocation, that we have reason to
fear lest thou shouldst forsake us utterly, and
cause the day of thy patience to end. Well may
we be afraid that thou wilt grant us no more of
that grace which we have so greatly abused ; nor
any supplies of that Holy Spirit, whom we have
so often resisted. And what have we now to ex-
pect from thee, O Lord ! what but judgment, if
it were not that thy mercy rejoices over judg-
ment ! Thy word assures us, that thou delightest

FOR A FAMILY. 55

not in the death of sinners, but rather that they
should turn to thee and live : and therefore it is
that thou still leavest us these opportunities to
plead with thee for the life of our souls. But
what have we to plead ? Nothing, Lord, in our-
selves: our hope is only in thee: we plead there-
fore thine own gracious nature, thy merciful in-
clinations, thine exceeding great and precious
promises,, which thou hast freely made to return-
ing sinners. Thou hast sent thine only Son to
be our almighty Saviour : and he that did no sin,
was manifested to take away our sins. O then,
for his sake, be pleased to pity us, to spare us, to
forgive us. Turn away thy wrath from us ; re-
ceive us to thy blessed favour ; and comfort us
with the sure persuasion, that our iniquities are
forgiven.

And because such is the infirmity of our na-
ture, that without thy grace we have not the
least power to keep ourselves even from the great-
est sins, O grant us the increase of thy grace, and
the help of thy good Spirit ; that we may be for-
tified against all temptation, and be made thy
willing and faithful servants. And be pleased,
O Lord, yet further to discover and manifest
thyself to our souls, that we may know aright,
thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent. And give us power from on high
that we may be able to live according to that
light which thou art pleased to impart unto us ;
that we may not hold the truth in unrighteous-

56 SEVENTH EVENING PRAYER.

ness., but may walk in the light, as children of
the light. O let us not only be almost, but al-
together Christians : let us be true penitents, sin-
cere converts, and sound believers. And O thou,
that workest all in all, finish in us the work of
thy grace, that we may have cause to give thee
praise and glory to all eternity.

These things, Lord, we beg, not only for our-
selves, but for all who partake of our nature, for
all whom thou hast made capable of eternal hap-
piness. More especially we pray for thy whole
church, wheresoever or howsoever disposed of
throughout all the earth: for the queen's ma-
jesty; and all our rulers and counsellors; for our
ministers and teachers ; for our relations and
neighbours ; our friends and benefactors ; and
for all thy afflicted, whatsoever be their trials
and troubles. O supply all their wants, and ful-
fil all their desires, in such a manner as thy wis-
dom sees best, for thy own mercy's sake in Christ
Jesus.

Thou, Lord, art the great preserver of men,
who hast kept and blest us this day, and all our
days. Praised be thy name for all thy goodness,
which we have so long and largely experienced.
O make us sensible of thy kindness, and thank-
ful for it as we ought to be. Take care of us, O
Lord, and be gracious to us this night. Give us
not only bodily rest in our beds, but rest for our
souls, in thy blessed self; and be thou our God
and guide, our hope and help, our joy and com-

FIRST MORNING PRAYER FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 57

fort, our ALL IN ALLj this night, and for ever-
more. Amen.

FIRST MORNING PRAYER FOR THE LORD'S
DAY.

S\ MOST blessed and gracious Lord God, whose
\J almighty hand has brought us out of nothing,
to enjoy the comforts of life; and whose free grace
has called us out of a state worse than nothing
to the hope of thy heavenly glory ! We bless thy
name, that thou hast conducted us safe, through
all states and conditions of our lives, to see the
comfortable light of this day; and we glorify thee
that we have yet a day of grace wherein to seek
the things belonging to our peace. We adore thee
for having so far consulted the good of our souls
as to set apart this day for holy uses,, that we
might engage in a solemn attendance upon thee
in whose service consists all our honour and hap-
piness. O how much higher might we have been
in thy favour, how much nearer to thee our God,
and fitter for thy heavenly kingdom, had we
rightly used^ and conscientiously improved, those
means of grace, which thou hast been pleased to
afford us !

But as we have been cruel to our own souls,
as well as disobedient to thee, our Lord ; many
times losing the opportunities of appearing before
thee ; and shunning as a task what was our

58 FIRST MORNING PRAYER

highest privilege : arid even when we have set
ourselves to seek thy face, it has been with such
coldness and dulness, such wanderings and dis-
tractions, that thou mightest justly abhor our
souls, and despise our services.

But be thou pleased to look upon us in the
Son of thy love, who is the Lord our peace and
our righteousness ; and forgive us all that is past,
wherein we have neglected thy work, or per-
formed it amiss, or done what was inconsistent
with it. Help us, O God of our salvation, and
deliver us both from the bands and burden of
our guilt ; and purge away all our sins, for the
glory of thy name : O let them not stand as a
partition-wall, to hinder the ascent of our prayers
to thee, or the descent of thy blessings upon us.
But let thy peace and love shine into our souls ;
that we may see the felicity of thy chosen, and
draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation.

O let us not rest in any forms of godliness, de-
nying the power thereof; . let us not take up with
the name and profession of Christianity; but be
swayed with its life and power. And let the
gospel of our Lord, and the graces of thy good
Spirit, shine forth in our lives, to the glory of
thee our heavenly Father. O gracious God, be
with us, and with all the ministers and stewards
of thy mysteries, who are this day to speak in
thy name : furnish them with abilities necessary
for their great work; and enable them to suit
themselves to the capacities and necessities of

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 59

their several hearers. And grant, Lord, unto us,
and unto all the hearers of thy holy word, humble
and teachable spirits; that we may receive thy
truth in the love of it, so as to profit and grow by
it. O do thou remove all the hindrances of our
spiritual improvement, that thy word may have
free course, and be glorified amongst us. And
let us this day go forth in the strength of the
Lord God; and prosper and increase with the
increase of God : let thy grace and blessing ac-
company all our endeavours; that having served
thee imperfectly upon earth, we may attain to the
full enjoyment of thee in heaven, and glorify thee
in the perfection of holiness, for ever and ever.

And let thy grace and blessing, thy love an£
fellowship, thy direction and assistance, O hea-
venly Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us
and with all for whom we ought to pray, this da}
and for evermore. Amen.

A SECOND MORNING PRAYER FOR THE
LORD'S DAY.

OLORD, the great almighty God ; thou art
the Giver of life and strength, and of all
grace and goodness; without thee we can do no-
thing : but through thy gracious assistance we are
enabled to do all things which thou requirest at
our hands : we humbly pray thee to be graciously
present with us, and powerfully assistant to us

62 SECOND MORNING PRAYER

to every one his portion in due season. And let
the word which they deliver be for the convic-
tion and comfort of many souls. O thou that
hast the key of David,, that openest and no man
shutteth, thou that speakest to the heart, and
givest the increase, open our understandings to
receive thy truth, both in the light and love of
it : and set it home so powerfully upon our hearts,
and root it so deeply in our souls, that the fruits
of it may appear in our lives; and that we may
not be forgetful hearers, but doers of thy word.

And grant, O gracious God, that our services
this day may be such as may tend to our advan-
tage, in the great day of thy appearing and glory :
let us so hallow these sabbaths upon earth, that
hereafter we may be admitted to the joyful cele-
bration of the eternal sabbath in heaven ; there,
with all the church triumphant, to laud and mag-
nify thy glorious name, and to enjoy thy love, and
sing thy praise for ever. And now, Lord, for the
addition of this sabbath we bless thee; for the
benefit of thy word, and for the ordinances of thy
worship, we glorify thy name: yea, for all the
means of grace, and for the hopes of glory, to
thee, the God of all grace, be praise and honour
and glory rendered by us, and by all thy people,
from this time forth, and for evermore. Amen.

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. C3

A PEAYER FOR ANY INTERMEDIATE TIME
OF THE LORD'S DAY.

OLORD the God of glory, who fillest heaven
and earth with thy presence, fill my heart
(I pray thee) with thy grace, and with a con-
sciousness that thine eye is upon me: that I may
demean myself as in thine immediate presence;
and serve thee on earth as thou art served above,
where thousand thousands minister unto thee,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before
thee. O happy are they who surround thy throne,
and are ever occupied in the contemplation of thy
Majesty, and the fruition of thy love : who have
an everlasting period put to all their sins, and
troubles, and temptations; and have their souls
perfected in holiness, their hearts filled with joy,
and their mouths opened to utter without ceasing
the everlasting praises of their God. O Lord,
look down from heaven, the habitation of thy
holiness and thy glory, and behold with pity the
poor remnant of thy heritage, who are yet upon
their warfare and pilgrimage in this present evil
world, beset with many and powerful enemies,
and groaning for deliverance from the bondage of
corruption, that they may be brought into the
glorious liberty of the children of God.

O good Lord, pardon every one of us, who now
prepare and set ourselves to seek thy face,, and
to meet and enjoy thee in the ordinances of thy

64 A MID-DAY PRAYER

worship. Though we be not cleansed according
to the purification of the sanctuary, accept us in
thy beloved Son, according to what we have; and
fill us with thy good Spirit, to make us what we
should be. O give unto me in particular, though
the most unworthy of thy creatures, a devout and
contrite heart; that I may not merely utter words
of prayer, or rest in any forms of godliness, but
may serve thee with my spirit, and lift up my
heart to the Lord, and have (as much as possible)
my conversation in heaven.

It is good for men to draw nigh to God: m
whose service consists all our honour and bliss.
O let my heart rejoice in seeking the Lord; and
with great liveliness, and love, and cheerfulness
let me frequent thy ways, and study thy word,
and admire thy works and magnify thy name. I
bless thee, my God, that thou hast given me an
understanding to know thee, a heart to love thee,
and a soul capable of waiting upon thee in the
duties of thy holy service, and of enjoying thee
in thy heavenly glory. I bless thee for all the
opportunities and advantages which I have to
serve thee, and to work out my salvation. I
adore thee for the ministry of reconciliation com-
mitted to thy servants ; for all their labours, and
writings, and preachings : and for all other means
of grace and assistances in this my warfare.

O give me such a love to thy word, that I may
value it above all the wealth of the world, and
relish it better than all the pleasures of the flesh;

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 65

and esteem it more than my necessary food.
Enable me to receive it, not only in the light,
but in the love thereof; that I may live and grow
by it, and attain the salvation which it sets before
me. And give me, Lord, a heart to fear thee,
and to keep thy commandments always, that it
may go well with me, both now and for ever. O
let me so make thy wrord the rule of my life, that
it may also be the ground of my hope : and while
it is sounding in my ears, do thou apply it with
an irresistible energy to my soul, that I may be
made obedient to it in the day of thy power.
And let there be such a transcript of the gospel
in my life, that I may not only hear what it says,
but be such as it describes. O gracious God!
continue the light and joyful sound of thy gospel
amongst us: and help us so rightly to use it, and
to profit by it, that we may have reason to bless
and praise thee for it to all eternity. O that
every sabbath may add yet more and more to our
stature in Christ Jesus; and that we may so
sanctify thy sabbaths now, that in the end we
may enjoy the sabbath of thine eternal rest; there
to dwell in thy sight, and rejoice in thy love, and
triumph in thy praise for evermore. Amen.

64 A MID-DAY PRAYER

worship. Though we be not cleansed according
to the purification of the sanctuary, accept us in
thy beloved Son, according to what we have; and
fill us with thy good Spirit, to make us what we
should be. O give unto me in particular, though
the most unworthy of thy creatures, a devout and
contrite heart; that I may not merely utter words
of prayer, or rest in any forms of godliness, but
may serve thee with my spirit, and lift up my
heart to the Lord, and have (as much as possible)
my conversation in heaven.

It is good for men to draw nigh to God: m
whose service consists all our honour and bliss.
O let my heart rejoice in seeking the Lord; and
with great liveliness, and love, and cheerfulness
let me frequent thy ways, and study thy word,
and admire thy works and magnify thy name. I
bless thee, my God, that thou hast given me an
understanding to know thee, a heart to love thee,
and a soul capable of waiting upon thee in the
duties of thy holy service, and of enjoying thee
in thy heavenly glory. I bless thee for all the
opportunities and advantages which I have to
serve thee, and to work out my salvation. J
adore thee for the ministry of reconciliation com-
mitted to thy servants; for all their labours, and
writings, and preachings : and for all other means
of grace and assistances in this my warfare.

O give me such a love to thy word, that I may
value it above all the wealth of the world, and
relish it better than all the pleasures of the flesh;

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 65

and esteem it more than my necessary food.
Enable me to receive it, not only in the light,
but in the love thereof; that I may live and grow
by it, and attain the salvation which it sets before
me. And give me, Lord, a heart to fear thee,
and to keep thy commandments always, that it
may go well with me, both now and for ever. O
let me so make thy word the rule of my life, that
it may also be the ground of my hope : and while
it is sounding in my ears, do thou apply it with
an irresistible energy to my soul, that I may be
made obedient to it in the day of thy power.
And let there be such a transcript of the gospel
in my life, that I may not only hear what it says,
but be such as it describes. O gracious God!
continue the light and joyful sound of thy gospel
amongst us: and help us so rightly to use it, and
to profit by it, that we may have reason to bless
and praise thee for it to all eternity. O that
every sabbath may add yet more and more to our
stature in Christ Jesus; and that we may so
sanctify thy sabbaths now, that in the end we
may enjoy the sabbath of thine eternal rest; there
to dwell in thy sight, and rejoice in thy love, and
triumph in thy praise for evermore. Amen.

66 FIRST EVENING PRAYER

FIRST EVENING PRAYER FOR THE LORD'?!
DAY.

OLORD, our God! thou art infinitely good,
and thou hast showed us what is good, and
what thou requirest of us, that it may go well
with us, both now, and to all eternity. Thou
sendest out thy light and thy truth amongst us;
thou makest the way of life and salvation plain
before us; and thou givest us many opportunities
to further us in the knowledge of that way which
leads to the kingdom of thy glory. We have
line upon line, and precept upon precept; thou
sendest thy messengers early and late, to open
and apply thy word; to give us calls and warn-
ings, directions and exhortations; and to promote
by all possible means our edilication here, and our
salvation for ever. Thou hast not been wanting

o

to us, O Lord; but we have been exceedingly
wanting to ourselves : for, O ! how have we loved
darkness rather than light, and chosen to follow
our own foolish and hurtful lusts, rather than to
be guided by thy blessed word! So little have
we improved the precious talents which thou hast
put into our hands, that thou mayest justly take
away the gospel of the kingdom from us, and give
it to another people, who shall bring forth fruits
more worthy of it. Because thou hast called, and
we have refused; thou hast stretched forth thir

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 67

hands, and we have not regarded; thou mayest
leave us to our own perverseness and impenitence,
to add sin unto sin, till our iniquities become our
ruin.

But, O Lord God, merciful and gracious ! we
humbly beseech thee that thou wilt not so enter
into judgment with thy servants ; but in mercy
pardon all our contempt of thy word, and our
abuse of all the means of grace which thou hast
afforded us. And help us, for the time to come,
to use and improve such gracious opportunities to
the glory of thy name, and the benefit of our own
souls. As the rain descends from heaven and re-
turns not thither, but waters the earth, and makes
it fruitful, so let thy word not return unto thee
void ; but let it accomplish thy good pleasure, and
prosper in that whereunto thou art pleased to send
it. O make it instrumental and effectual to work •
thy grace, where it is not ; and to establish and
increase it, where it is; and let it build us all up
in the fear and love of God, and in the knowledge
and faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And though we cannot now find, upon the re-
view of our services this day, that we have duly
kept a day holy to the Lord ; yet let it not be a
lost day to us, nor thy word as water spilt upon
the ground : but let thy good Spirit bring thy
word to our remembrance, and cause it to be aa
engrafted word, able and effectual to save our
souls. Arid as we have been taught how we ought
fco walk, and to please thee our God, so. help us

68 FIRST EVENING PRAYER

to walk more worthy of thee; and to be more
ready to every good work, which may be pleasing
in thy sight through Jesus Christ.

£At his hands,, O merciful God, we beg thy
gracious acceptance of our praise and thanksgiv-
ing, for all the blessings which thou hast so freely
conferred upon us, and so long continued to us.
Thou hast dealt graciously with us, O blessed
Lord, and been exceedingly kind to us, not only
beyond all that we have reason to expect, but
above all that we are able to express. We bless
thy name, O heavenly Father, that in so many
respects thou hast made us to differ from multi-
tudes in the world, who are destitute of the com-
forts of this life, and the hopes of a better ; which
through thy special favour we enjoy. We ac-
knowledge thee in all : and we desire to ascribe
unto thee all the praise and glory. Particularly
would our souls now bless thee for the mercies
which we have experienced this day; for thy
house open to us ; for the word of salvation sound-
ing in our ears ; and for thy blessed Spirit striv-
ing with our hearts. O that we may not receive
the grace of God in vain ; and that thy mercies
may not be lost upon us ! But let us act worthy
of that care and kindness, which we have so long
and largely experienced ; let us thankfully receive
and carefully improve thy distinguishing favours ;
let us not provoke thee to withdraw thy tender
mercies from us : but do thou still continue thine
accustomed goodness to us ; increase and multiply

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 69

tliy blessings upon us ; and rejoice over us to do
us good.]

In mercy pardon all which thy pure and holy
eyes have seen amiss this day, in any of our
thoughts or desires, our words or actions. O par-
don our neglect of what we should have done,
and the guilt which we have contracted in all that
we have attempted to do : forgive the iniquities
of our holy things: and enter not into judgment
with us, even according to the best of our works
and services : but overlook all our sins, and fail-
ings, and imperfections, for the sake of our great
Mediator and Redeemer; who appears in thy
presence, and ever lives at thy right hand, to
make intercession for us. To Him, as the blessed
author of our hopes and happiness ; and to Thee,
who didst vouchsafe to deliver him up for us ;
and to that blessed Spirit who has revealed him
to us, be all praise, and honour, and glory, hum-
bly and heartily ascribed by us, and by all thy
church, now and for evermore. Amen.

A SECOND EVENING PRAYER FOR THE
LORD'S DAY.

OLORD, thou art good to the soul that seeks
thee. By numberless invitations, and by all
the endearments of thy love, thou encouragest
poor sinners to come unto thee. Thou dost not
bid us seek thy face in vain, or serve thee for

70 SECOND EVENING PRAYER

nought : thou hast pleasure in the prosperity of
thy servants, and givest not according to our poor
imperfect services, but according to thine infinitely
rich and tender mercies : thou givest us eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is not
any thing in thy laws, O gracious Lord, but the
sinfulness of our depraved nature, that makes any
of them seem grievous to us : they are all holy,
and just, and good, tending only to promote our
present and eternal happiness. Nor is it any-
thing in thy blessed service^ but the indisposed-
ness of our own vile hearts, that makes any part
of that employment tedious to us, which is the
work and joy of angels ; and which it is our wis-
dom, our honour, our interest, and our happiness
to perform. Holy God, we are all #s an unclean
thing, arid all our righteousness are as filthy rags ;
nor can we ever hope to be justified in thy sight
upon the account of any works or worth of our
own ; for by our own hearts and deeds we are
reproved and condemned; and should be left
speechless in the judgment, if thou, O Lord,
shouldst call us to account, according to the merits
even of our best services. But we desire to take
refuge under the shadow of our crucified Saviour ;
and to be found in him, not having our own
righteousness, but that which is by the faith of
Jesus Christ; that the shame of our nakedness
may be covered, and all our sinful deformities be
Lid from thine eyes. And we intreat thee to for-
give us mercifully, and receive us graciously, and

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 71

love us freely, in the Son of thy love, in whom
thou art well pleased.

Command a blessing, we pray thee, O Lord,
upon the word which this day we have heard, and
upon all the means of grace that have been used
for the good of our souls. It is not of him that
planteth, nor of him that watereth, but of thee
our God, who givest the increase. O be thou
pleased to second the preaching of thy word with
the powerful influences of thy grace and Holy
Spirit ; that it may be the savour of life to our
souls, and the power of God to our salvation. O
let us so hide thy word in our hearts, that we
may not (as we have done) sin against thee, but
may have it as a treasure within us, to aid us in
every hour of temptation, and in every time of
need. Apply it to our hearts, that we may walk
more humbly and closely with our God, and more
conscientiously and circumspectly before thee;
and be so obedient to the holy precepts of thy
word, that finally we may enjoy the great and
precious promises contained in it.

Supply, O Lord, by the immediate teachings
of thy Spirit, the want of thy public ordinances
to all such as through any unavoidable impedi-
ments are kept from them. And continue to us,
O gracious Lord,, the light of thy gospel and all
the happy opportunities which we enjoy for our
soul's advantage. Preserve us also by thy grace,
from the curse of barrenness ; and that thine or-
dinances may not rise up in judgment against us.

72 SECOND EVENING PRAYER

O make them now effectual for our good : cause
them to accomplish in us all the purposes of thy
grace ; and let their sanctifying efficacy shine
forth with a convincing splendour in our lives.

£And now we give thanks (as we are infinitely
bound) to thee, O Lord God., our.heavenly Father,
for the mercies of this day : and for thy great
mercy and goodness that has followed us all the
days of our lives. O how wonderful is thy pa-
tience and long-suffering, that thou shouldst all
day long stretch forth thy hands to a rebellious
and gainsaying people ! And how unwearied thy
kindness and love, that thou still loadest us with
benefits, notwithstanding our past abuse of them,
and impartest even the greatest mercies to us,
who have deserved nothing but judgments at thy
hands ! Blessed be thy name, O most merciful
Father, that thou hast defended us from so many
clangers in our lives, which threatened to destroy
us; and delivered us out of so many troubles,
under which we should have sunk and perished,
if thou hadst not been nigh to us, and done great
things for us. We bless thee for our health and
plenty, peace and liberty ; for the use of our rea-
son, limbs, and senses ; and for the comforts of
all thy good creatures ; for the kindness of friends,
and safety from our enemies ; for the benefits and
refreshments of society, and the success and pros-
perity of our affairs in the world. But, above
all, we bless thee for the mercies and blessings
relating to the world to come ; for Jesus Christ,

i

FOR THE LORD'S DAY. 73

and all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in
him ; for remembering us in our low estate,, and
sending eternal redemption to us by the hands of
thy dear Son ; for the light and direction of thy
word; for the teachings and strivings, the aids
and consolations of thy Spirit ; for all the means
and helps which we have to do us good ; for all
thy grace wrought in us,, and bestowed upon us ;
and for all the discoveries and hopes of eternal
glory, which thou hast given to us. O how infi-
nitely indebted are we to the kindness and love
of God our Saviour ! O that we may ever be
sensible and thankful as we ought ! And with
all that thou hast given us, blessed Lord, give us
hearts filled with thy love,, and lifted up in thy
praise, and devoted to thy service.

We can only acknowledge the debt, which we
can never pay. We cannot praise thee according
to the riches of thy grace, and the multitude of
thy mercies : but we desire to bless and praise,
with all the capacities and abilities wherewith
thou hast blessed us. And help us, O Lord our
God, to glorify thy name, not only in speaking to
thy praise, but in so entirely devoting ourselves
to thy service, that we may be thine in faithful-
ness, and in the sincerity of our hearts, even all
the days of our lives.]

O make us truly penitent and humbled for all
which this day we have done amiss ; and make
us unfeignedly thankful for all the good that we
have received; and for all which thou hast, in

74 A PRAYER UPON THE COMMANDS.

any manner or measure, enabled us to do ariglit.
The evil is from ourselves alone, and to us belongs
shame and confusion of face for it ; but all the
good is of thy free grace, and thy mere mercy ;
and to thy blessed name, O Lord, our God, be
all the praise and glory rendered, with the most
sensible and grateful hearts, now and for ever-
more. Amen.

A CONFESSION OF THE SINS FORBIDDEN,

WITH PRAYER FOR GRACE TO PERFORM THE DUTIES ENJOINED
IN THE COMMANDMENTS :

[Preparatory to the Sacrament, or at any time of humiliation.]

OLORD, the great and glorious God ! against
whom I have grievously offended; and who
for my sins art justly displeased: I know not
where to begin or end the rehearsal of all my
transgressions ; which are more than I can re-
member, and greater than I can express.

Thou art God alone, and there is none beside
thee. Thou hast an absolute right over me ; and
thou alone art worthy to be worshipped and
served by me. But, O Lord, my God, other lords
beside thee have had dominion over me. I have
idolized things in myself, and in this present
world ; and have set them in the stead of God ;
either disbelieving thy being, or forgetting thy
presence, or disliking to retain thee in my
thoughts, or living without thee in the world. I

A PRAYER UPON THE COMMANDS. 75

have not improved in thy knowledge,, answerably
to the means of instruction wherewith thou hast
blessed me. And that I have no better know-
ledge of God, it is my shame ; it is altogether
owing to my sinful dulness and negligence in
that which most of all concerns me. I have not
had all my expectation from thee, nor my whole
dependence upon thee, nor my chief hope and
delight in thee ; but have sought my happiness
in creature comforts and worldly enjoyments. O
how have I hardened my heart against the fear
of thee, who couldst in one moment destroy me,
both body and soul, in hell ! How have I sinned
against the clear light which thou hast caused to
shine upon me ! And how have I shut my heart
against the love of thee, my chief good; notwith-
standing thou hast been doing me good, and lay-
ing fresh obligations upon me, with thy renewed
favour, every day.

I have conceived injurious, unbecoming thoughts
of thine infinite greatness and goodness, till I have
become vain and wicked in my imaginations ;
thinking the most high and glorious God to be
even such a one as myself. And instead of wor-
shipping thee in spirit and in truth, it has been
after my own fancy and humour ; in a formal
and customary manner.

O what light account have I made of thy great
name ! And what little zeal have I showed for
thine honour and glory ! How have I disregarded
thy word and works, thy mercies and judgments,

7G A PRAYER UPON THE COMMANDS.

thy calls and warnings, and all thine offers and in-
vitations ; and either neglected the offices of thy
worship, or profaned thy holy things, and abused
religious duties, to cover my own offences: draw-
ing nigh to thee with my mouth, when my heart
has been far from thee !

Thy day I have not remembered as I ought,
to keep it holy : but have used as common, what
thou hast set apart for sacred ; and borne the
holy season as a burden, and made bold with thy
hallowed time, to spend it upon my sloth, and
lusts, and worldly trifles, and carnal indulgences.

O how have I failed and sinned in all my re-
lations. As a superior, in pride and vanity ; as
an inferior, in stubbornness and envy ; as a parent
and child, master and servant, friend and neigh-
bour : not discharging my duty in any capacity
as I ought !

How careless have I been of my own and others'
souls ! How passionate and unmerciful, conten-
tious and revengeful ! Bitter in my words ; ma-
licious in my heart ; tempting some to commit
sin ; neglecting to keep others from the commis-
sion of it : and not exerting my utmost endeavours
to do good unto all !

O Lord ! I am unclean, unclean ! defiled with
filthy imaginations in my head, and lustful de-
sires in my heart, which have often broke out
into corrupt communication, and indecent levity
and intemperate living after the flesh. Yea, I
have been guilty of the spiritual whoredom, in

A PRAYEK UPON THE COMA1AKDS. 77

forsaking the blessed bridegroom of my soul to
cleave to lying vanities ; and to keep up that
friendship with the world, which is enmity with
God.

I have been unfaithful in the unrighteous mam-
mon, and not honoured thee with my sustance ;
nor done the good which thou hast made me ca-
pable of doing ; but by idleness and injurious en-
trenching on the rights of others, or by profuse
consuming my portion on my own lusts, I have
been a sacrilegious usurper of thy good creatures.

O ! what sinful liberties have I taken, in speak-
ing evil of my neighbours ! Using them in my
words, as I would ill resent to be used ; slander-
ing and reviling, dissembling or rash judging ;
and often wronging the truth, to avenge, to ex-
cuse, or exalt myself.

O what a nursery of covetous and carnal de-
sires has been this corrupt and wicked heart of
mine ! cherishing and delighting in evil motions ;
repining at others' welfare : coveting all to my-
self, and making provision for the flesh, to fulfil
its lusts.

Such sins I have committed against thy holy
laws; and I have also sinned against thy gracious
gospel, O Lord ; not acquainting myself with the
way of salvation by Jesus Christ ; but neglect-
ing his great salvation; and disregarding the only
Saviour, whom to know and win should have
been all my desire ; and in comparison of whom
I should have accounted all things else but loss

78 A PRAYER UPON THE COMMANDS.

and dung. I have not been awed by thy threat-
enings, nor allured by thy promises. I have not
listened to the calls of thy word, nor yielded to
the motions of thy Spirit; nor believed thy
truths; nor loved thy days; nor improved the
opportunities which thou hast graciously set be-
fore me. I have even shut my eyes against the
things of my peace ; and made light of all iny
Saviour's invitations, and of all the wonderful
things which he has done and suffered for the
salvation of my soul; taking pleasure in the ene-
mies of his cross ; little concerned for the success
of his gospel ; nor laying to heart my own, or
others' sins; nor seriously repenting, nor fervently
praying ; but doing all these things as if I did
them not.

Such is my heavy charge ; this is my heinous
guilt : O that I may not only confess it, but be
duly humbled for it, and lay my mouth in the
dust, if so be there may be hope ! And is there
hope for such a great and provoking sinner?
Lord of love, thou hast helped many poor miser-
able souls in a low and desperate condition : and
many (I believe) are now triumphing and prais-
ing thee in glory, who long and grievously rebelled
against thee here below. Such are the wonders

c5

of thy grace ; and thus hast thou glorified thyself
in seeking and saving that which was lost. And
is thy hand shortened, that thou canst not save,
or thy mercy exhausted, that thou wilt not hear ?
O be merciful unto me also, even unto me, the

A PKAYER UPON THE COMMANDS. 79

chief of sinners. Put me in the way where all
thy goodness may pass before me : and help me
to exercise such humiliation and repentance in
thy sight, that thou mayest exercise thy pardon-
ing and saving mercy towards my soul: and never
lay my sins to my charge ; but accept me for HIS
sake, who, though he knew no sin, -was made sin
for us, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him.

Nor do I beg only for the pardon of my sins,
but also for power to subdue them. For thy truth
and mercy's sake, let thy preventing grace guard
me from temptations in their first approach ; and
thy assisting grace enable me to withstand them,
whenever I am called to the conflict: that so,
through thine effectual help, I may overcome
that cruel adversary, who walks about as a roar-
ing lion, seeking whom he may devour. Turn
my feet, O blessed Lord, to thy testimonies; and
help me, with an enlarged heart, to run the way
of thy commandments. O give me grace to take
and choose thee for my God : and to know and
trust, and fear and love, and serve and worship
thee as it becomes me. Give me a deep rever-
ence for thy name; an ardent zeal for thy glory;
a devotion and constancy in all the duties of thy
holy religion ; a conscientious care to sanctify thy
sabbaths ; and a due veneration and affection for
all thy holy things.

Help me also, O my God, rightly to discharge
all relative duties towards my superiors, equals,

£0 A PRAYER UPON THE COMMANDS.

and inferiors, even towards all with whom I have
my conversation in the world : that I may give
no just offence to any, but may rather win others
by the amiableness and excellence of my deport-
ment. O make me careful of my own, and of
others' souls; make me peaceable and patient,
merciful and kind, and studious (as far as in me
lies) to promote the good of all : make me in all
things to love my neighbour as myself. Enable
me to be chaste and continent; pure in heart;
sober and modest in speech and carriage; tem-
perate in the use of thy good creatures ; given to
prayer, and to all the exercises of godliness, that
tend to mortify the lusts of the flesh. Make me
also faithful in the unrighteous mammon; con-
tented with my portion ; industrious in my call-
ing ; upright in my dealing ; honouring thee with
my substance; and doing good, and not hurt,
with that portion which thou hast been pleased
to bestow upon me. Help me, O righteous God,
ever to love and own, to confess and maintain the
truth : candidly to interpret the words and ac-
tions of others ; not delighting in their shame, "
but being as tender of their reputation as I would
desire they should be of mine. And help me, O
my Lord, to resist the beginnings and first risings
of evil motions in my mind; and to keep my
heart with all diligence, so that it may never har-
bour or indulge any covetous or unclean desires.
O let me not give my mind to earthly things ;
nor be carnally minded, which is death; but spi-

A PRAYER BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPER. 81

ritually minded,, which is life and peace. And
incline me, O good God, to meditate on thy holy
laws, yea to love and keep them with my whole
heart.

O make me resolved to live a life of holiness,
according to thy blessed will and word. And let
me not only think and purpose to live godly in
Christ Jesus, but bring my purposes into actions,
my actions into habits, and my habits into an uni-
form perseverance ; so enduring to the end, that
I may be saved. And through the ways of thy
holy commands, O Lord, lead me to the joys of
thy heavenly kingdom; that, having my fruit
unto holiness, I may, in the end, attain everlast-
ing life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER BEFORE THE SACRAMENT OF
THE LORD'S SUPPER.

OWHAT am I, poor unworthy sinful wretch,
that I should go to the table of the Lord, and
take to myself the portion of his saints ! Great
God ! my guilt, and shame, and fear do pull me
back, and make me ready to conclude that it
would be presumptuous and vain for me ever to
expect such high honour and favour from thy
hands. I could not presume to make such near
approaches to thy divine Majesty, but that thou
art pleased to invite and command us to come
unto thee. Nor could I ever hope for such
6

82 A PRAYER BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPER.

heavenly blessings at thy hands, O Lord, were it
not that thou art infinitely good and kind, even
to such as deserve nothing but to be forsaken and
abhorred of thee. Instead of stretching forth a
sceptre of mercy to invite me to thy table, thou
mightest with the rod of thy wrath dash me in
pieces as a potter's vessel : and, instead of enter-
taining me with the bread of life and the cup of
blessing, thou mightest give me the bread and
water of affliction ; and cast me into the lowest
pit, where I should in vain cry for one drop of
water to cool my tongue.

But seeing thou art pleased to command, that
they who have undone themselves should come
unto thee for help ; and hast appointed this sa-
crament as a means of conveying to them pardon
and grace : and since I so extremely need thy
pardoning mercy, and thy sanctifying grace, I
come (Lord) though polluted and unfit to appear
before thee ; and I dare not but come, knowing
that I shall be undone^ if I keep away from thee.
I come not, Lord, because I am worthy; but
because thou art 'rich in mercy. I come as the
hungry to be fed ; and as the sick and maimed,
to be recovered and healed. I come that I may
wash in the blood of thy dear Son, and be cleansed ;
that I may receive out of his infinite fulness, all
that is wanting in my wretched self; arid that I
may so touch my Saviour, as to derive virtue
from him, to heal my infirmities, and to fit me
for thy service.

A PRAYER BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPER. 83

O that I may come in the humblest manner,
with all reverence and godly fear ; and with the
most earnest longings after Christ Jesus ; and the
heartiest resolutions to live unto him, who, of his
infinite mercy, was pleased to die for me! And
do thou instruct me, O Lord; and assist me in the
examination and preparation of myself; in order
that I may safely and comfortably partake of this
holy ordinance. Before I compass thine altar, do
thou purify my heart by repentance, and by faith
in the blood of our adorable Redeemer. O let
me receive a crucified Saviour into a broken and
contrite heart. And make me so willing and obe-
dient, that I may derive good from the ordinance,
and enjoy in it, not only a representation, but a
rich participation also, of his dying love. O turn
in, my Lord, and be not as a stranger to the soul
that has been purchased by thy blood. Enrich
thine ordinance with thy presence ; that I may
find him whom my soul desires to love, and whose
love is better than wine. Blessed Jesus, make
thyself known to my soul in this breaking of
bread : and let me receive such life from thee, as
may enable me to live unto thee : and make me
know, that thou abidest in me, by the Spirit
which thou hast given me.

.Blessed Saviour ! weigh not my merits, but
thine own ; for I have deserved nothing at thy
hands but wrath : nor could I presume to ask
anything of thee, if thou hadst not redeemed me
with thy precious blood. I can never be worthy

84 A PRAYER BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPEK.

of thee ; but thou canst give me such views, dis-
positions, and affections, that I may eat and drink
worthily of the feast to which I am invited. Come
to my help, O thou blessed Emmanuel, that I
may participate of thy sacred body crucified, and
thy precious blood shed for us, with such discern-
ment, and reverence, and penitence, and faith,
and love, and thankfulness, as I ought to do ; and
may receive these symbols of thy love to my pre-
sent consolation and my everlasting salvation.

O thou that hast prepared a table in this wil-
derness, with heavenly provisions for our souls,
prepare my soul, dear Lord, for these provisions ;
and give me spiritual appetite, as well as spiritual
sustenance : that as the hart panteth after the
water-brooks, my soul may pant after thee, O
God. Let me feel a vehement desire to eat this
passover. Make me so to open my mouth, that
thou mayest fill my hungry soul with thy good
things ; and so to lift up the everlasting doors of
my heart, that the King of Glory may come in.
Come thou, and dwell in my heart by faith ; and
abide with my spirit to the latest hour of my life.

O make thine ordinance healing, and a savour
of life to my soul. And make it also a sealing
ordinance, to clear up to me the pardon of my
sins, and the assurance of thy love. And as thou
sealest the covenant of grace, O let me seal the
covenant of obedience : and in such a devout and
acceptable manner come unto thy table, that I
may return from it with my conscience quieted

A PRAYER BEFORE THE LORD'S SUPPER. 85

my corruptions subdued, my graces increased,
and my soul encouraged, with an enlarged heart,
to run the way of thy commands.

Ah Lord ! to whom should I repair but unto
thee, my life, my strength, and my Redeemer !
O thou that callest unto thee the labouring and
heavy-laden sinners, help me so to come to thee^
that in thee I may find rest for my soul. Thou
that hast commanded us to break our bread to
the hungry, O break the bread of life to all of us
that hunger and thirst after righteousness : and
give us, O Lord God our heavenly Father, ever-
more give us this bread. And since thou art
pleased still to continue to us the liberty and ad-
vantage of this ordinance to nourish and revive
our souls, O work in our hearts a higher esteem
for it, and a greater love to it. And in our pre-
parations before we eat and drink at thy table, in
our communicating there, and our conversation
after, O teach and help us to act as becomes the
redeemed of the Lord, and the living members of
Jesus Christ.

Hear me, O Lord my God, and forgive me;
bless and direct me, quicken and assist me, in the
work now lying before me : and deal graciously
with me, that I may discharge all my offices
heartily as to the Lord, and with good acceptance
in thy sight, through Jesus Christ, thy beloved
Son, my only mediator and advocate. Amen and
Amen.

86 DEVOUT EJACULATIONS BEFORE

SOME DEVOUT EJACULATIONS AND ELEVA-
TIONS OF THE SOUL,

BEFORE RECEIVING AT THE LORD'S TABLE.

I. BLESSED be my God, that again is pleased
to call me to the reconciliation feast; and after
all my breaches with him, and all my offences
against him, yet to grant me a new indulgence;"
and to seal my pardon afresh in the precious
blood of his dear Son, that was shed to take away
the sins of the world.

II. At thy gracious invitation, Lord, I am bold
to come, looking for that blessed benefit, which I
know myself so unworthy to receive, that thou
mightest justly bar up the doors of mercy against
me, and withhold thy saving good from me. But
thy mercies, blessed God, are not to the deserv-
ing and worthy, but to the miserable and needy.

0 let me find them, (needy and miserable as I
am) according to the riches of thy bounty, and
according to the greatness of my necessity.

III. I have no might for this great work: but

1 will go in thy strength, O Lord my God. Give
me, I beseech thee, the dispositions which thou
appro vest; and work in me what thou requirest
from me. O let me find thy hand upon me, thy
help with me, and thy grace sufficient for me.

IV. O that I may see thy power and thy glory,
so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary ! That I
may share in the heavenly entertainment of thy

RECEIVING THE LORD'S SUPPER. 87

children, and eat and drink in thy presence that
bread of life and that cup of blessing,, which may
be the life of my soul, and make my heart glad
with the joy of thy salvation.

V. O what shall I do at thy house, and thy
table, Lord, if thou dost not appear, to receive
and entertain me? O that thou wouldst, in won-
derful condescension, bow the heavens and come
down; and make me experience thy presence
with me, and the power of thy Spirit upon me,
and that loving kindness of thine, which is better
than life.

VI. O let not the great Lord and lover of souls
keep off as a stranger to my soul; but look forth
at the windows, and show himself through the
lattice, and remember me in saving mercy, where
he feeds, and where he makes his flock to rest:
and let me now taste, and see (to the satisfaction
of my soul) how good the Lord is.

VII. I desire to take shelter under the shadow
of my Redeemer's wings; and to be found in
Christ Jesus, clothed with that righteousness of
his, which is sufficient both to atone for all my
guilt, and also to fill up all my wants; yea, to
make me complete in the sight of God, and meet
for the felicity of his chosen. O God of all grace !
give me, I beseech thee, a saving interest in that
great redemption which thy beloved Son has pur-
chased for a ruined world: that my soul may
magnify the Lord, and my spirit may rejoice in
God my Saviour.

88 DEVOUT EJACULATIONS BEFOKE

VIII. O thou that art able to do it, bring me
into the bonds of the covenant: and let me volun-
tarily and cheerfully enter into it; not as one
who is averse to the terms that it proposes, but
as one who longs to enjoy the blessings which it
offers.

IX. O make me willing in the day of thy
power; and may I this day experience,, Lord,
the powerful workings of thy blessed Spirit, to
open and enlarge my heart, and to make me ready
and fit to receive him who stands at the door and
knocks, even to receive into my soul Christ Jesus
the Lord.

X. O how unworthy am I, Lord, that thou
shouldst come under my roof; unworthy to eat
the crumbs that fall from thy table! But thine
infinite merits can cover all my sins and unworthi-
ness; and recommend me to the just and holy
Majesty of heaven, even as if I had not sinned.
O deal graciously with me, my Lord and my
God. I beseech thee; and forgive, and heal, and
help me; and exercise thy power and pity towards
me ; and come into my soul, with all the blessings
and consolations which thou hast taught us to ex-
pect at thy hands.

XI. O Lord! my soul is polluted and unclean;
but thy precious blood can cleanse me from all
my sins and defilements, and make me a fit habita-
tion for thy Holy Spirit. O speak thou the
word, and I shall be clean and whole: and my
soul shall live^ and for ever bless thy name

RECEIVING THE LORD'S SUPPER. 89

XII. Assist me mercifully, O Lord, ifi my
designs and endeavours to obtain the blessed
fruitions, whereof thou hast made me capable.
O forgive my unworthiness ; cover my sins; help
my infirmities; quicken my dulness; prepare me
for thee; draw me unto thee; bring me into the
enjoyment of thee; let me possess thee now, as
far as my poor capacity will admit of, and here-
after, in all thy fulness, for ever and ever.

XIII. O that thine ordinance now may be the
means of my establishment ! Let it impart unto
my soul, out of the fulness of Christ Jesus, grace
sufficient for me. Let it be the means of render-
ing me lively and constant in the discharge of
every duty. And what I have not in myself,
Lord, do thou give me : and what I am not of
myself, O do thou make me, for thy own mercy's
sake. Amen, Amen

SOME DEVOUT EJACULATIONS AND ELEVA-
TIONS OF THE SOUL,

AFTER RECEIVING AT THE LORD'S TABLE.

I. r\ LORY be to thee, O Lord our God, that
vJT in our extreme need of a Redeemer thou
hast made such gracious provision for our souls;
that thou hast sent thy Son to die for our sins,
and to save us, after we had destroyed ourselves.
Blessed be thy name, that he who offered himself

00 DEVOUT EJACULATIONS AFTER

upon the cross for us, is pleased to offer himself
at his table to us: there have I been tasting the
fruits of his love, and receiving my share among
the redeemed of the Lord. O blessed be God for
so great a mercy!

II. I bless thee, my God,, for the mercies of a
Saviour; without which all other mercies would

' be of no avail, would do me no good. I bless
thee, that thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine
only Son from us; but hast given him to be the
propitiation for our sins, and the life and food of
our souls.

III. I sat down under his shadow, and his fruit
was sweet to my taste. I have been entertained
at the table of the Lord: and there his banner
over me was love. It was love that gave me
the Saviour whom I have been receiving, and
the opportunity to rest and feast my soul upon
him.

IV. Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the
Lord has dealt bountifully with thee. Thy life
is given thee at his hands, who forgiveth all thy
sins, and healeth all thy diseases : and not only
redeems thee from destruction, but crowns thee
with loving-kindness and tender mercies; and
satisfies thy mouth with good things, even with
pardon and peace, yea, with the riches of his
grace, and the pledges of his glory.

V. Blessed be my God, for that bread which
came down from heaven, to give life unto the
world. And blessed be thy name, O gracious

RECEIVING THE LORD'S SUPPER. 91

Lord, for my share in this highest expression
of thy wonderful love and bounty.

VI. Eternal thanks and praise be unto thee,
O blessed God my Saviour, for all thy glorious
achievements, in laying the sure foundation for
our hope and everlasting consolation.

VII. Thou hast loved us, and redeemed us,
and washed us from our sins in thine own blood.
And O how infinitely indebted am I to thy mercy,
that thou callest me to this sweet heavenly en-
tertainment ; which thou hast purchased and
provided for us at so great a price !

VIII. O make me more sensible of thy love,
and more thankful for all its blessed effects. And
let me now find the happy fruits of strength and
refreshment to my soul : even strength against all
the temptations that would pluck me from thee;
and refreshment, that may render all the pleasures
of sin distasteful to me, and make it my meat and
drink to do the will of my heavenly Father.

IX. After I have tasted the pleasures of my
Father's house, O let me not go to feed upon
husks. Let nothing take away from me the
savour that I have had of heavenly things nor let
a world separate between me and the blessed
Saviour of the world.

X. Let me not turn my back upon the Lord
of love, that has been so good and kind to my
soul. O let me never more take up arms against
my heavenly Sovereign, to whom now again I
have vowed allegiance.

92 THANKSGIVING AND PKAYER

XI. Whither shall I go from thee, O blessed
Jesus, who hast the words and the gift of eternal
life ? All is in thy hands : and thou art the best
of all lords, who rulest us only that thou mayest
bless us ; and layest thy commands upon us only
that thou mayest keep us from ruining ourselves,
and secure to us the highest happiness.

XII. I will admire, and love, and praise my
Lord: I will believe and trust in his tried mercy:
I will rejoice and glory in his great salvation.
And who shall pluck me out of his hands? What
shall separate me from his love ? My be!ov2d is
mine, and I am his. Thine I am, O Lord, and
thine I will be, while I have my being.

XIII. Yet, Lord of all power and love! I
beseech thee keep thy servant from falling ; and
preserve me in every time of danger. O do not
suffer me to destroy myself ; but pity my frailty,
and relieve my infirmity : and in thy hands let
me be safe, and never perish, but attain everlast-
ing life; through Jesus Christ, my great Re-
deemer and only Saviour. Amen, Amen.

THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER AFTER THE
SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.

I DESIRE with all my soul to adore and
magnify thy blessed name, O Lord God, my
heavenly Father, for all the expressions of thy
love and bounty to me, a poor unworthy sinner.

AFTER THE LORD'S SUPPER. 93

Particularly for thy precious favours, and the re-
newed pledges of thy love in Christ Jesus, whicli
I have received from thee this day: that thou
hast admitted me, not only into thy house, but
to thy table ; and used me as thy friend, and the
child of thy family ; even me, who deserve to be
cast out as an enemy, and to be abhorred by thee
as the off-scouring of all things. O what man-
ner of love is this, that I should fare so well, who
deserve so ill at thy hands ! O that it should be
done to wretched sinful men ! That the God so
greatly offended by us, should not only forgive
us, but entertain and feast us with all the good
things, which our blessed Saviour has merited
and prepared for us ! Lord, what is man, that
thou art so mindful of him, and the son of man
that thou so visitest him ! And what am I, one
of the vilest and most sinful of men. that the
great Lord, so often dishonoured by me, should
deal so exceeding graciously with me ! O make
me to know the things that are freely given me
of God, and to see how much I owe unto the
Lord for all thy kindness to my soul. O give me
a heart deeply sensible of thy mercy, and stead-
fastly purposing to live to thy glory ; that I may
show my thankfulness for thy benefits by my
obedience to thy precepts. O keep me mindful
of the vows which are upon me : and help me to
live, as having my holy Redeemer now dwelling
in me.

And as I have received Christ Jesus the Lord,

94 DEVOUT EJACULATIONS, ETC.

so enable me to walk in him ; to walk more worthy
of the Lord unto all well-pleasing; to walk in
love, as Christ hath loved us ; and to go on in
the strength of what I have received from thee,
following after holiness, and perfecting it in thy
fear.

As I have eat and drank the sacramental bread
and wine, to the nourishment and refreshment o-
my frail body ; so let the body and blood of God
my Saviour nourish and sustain my immortal
soul unto life eternal.

And O that the sacrifice of Christ Jesus (that
sacrifice of himself which he offered upon the
cross, and which I have this day been commemo-
rating at thy table,) may atone for all the failings
and defects of my preparations and performances !
and that, upon the account of that grand propitia-
tion for the sins of the whole world, I may be
spared and accepted with thec my God ! O grant
it, I beseech thee, through him that loved us, and
gave himself for us, even the Son of thy love, the
great lover of our souls : for whom, and to whom,
with thy eternal self and Holy Spirit, be all thanks
and praise, and honour, and glory, ascribed of
me, and of all thy church, now and for evermore.
Amen.

PRAYER FOR SELF-RESIGNATION. 95

A PRAYER FOR GRACE TO RESIGN, AND GIVE
UP OURSELVES TO GOD.

i~\ MY great and glorious Maker and Redeemer,
\J my continual Preserver, my only Lord and
Owner ! Thine I am every way, by all the ties
of duty and love. I am not at my own disposal ;
for thou hast formed me for thyself; and dearly
ransomed me, after I had destroyed and sold my-
self. I have been solemnly devoted to thee, and
have vowed to renounce all tempters that would
rival my blessed Lord : and obediently to serve
thee, my God., and to walk in thy holy ways all
the days of my life. Nor is this a matter of duty
only and obligation, but it is my honour and
interest, my highest perfection,, and my greatest
bliss.

But with confusion and remorse I must ac-
knowledge, O Lord, that I have sacrilegiously
alienated myself from thee, and most foolishly
and wickedly forsaken thee, to serve other lords;
yea, to be under the power and servitude of my
own vain humours and sinful passions ; not con-
cerned so much to honour thee, as to please my-
self: as if I were altogether my own, and had no
Lord over me. O my God! forgive, and mortify
in me, this wicked and pernicious selfishness :
and let me no longer unjustly withhold myself
from thee ; nor madly expose myself to ruin, by
living in the world without thee; nor vainly hope

93 PRAYER FOR SELF-RESIGNATION.

to unite the inconsistent services of God and
mammon : but make me so mindful both of my
duty and happiness, as willingly and cheerfully
to devote myself to the blessed Author of my
being : that so I may both answer the end for
which I was made., and also attain the happiness
whereof I am capable. Seeing that all who are
far from thee shall perish, as branches cut from
the living root that feeds them ; and that I have
no sufficiency in myself, but derive all my good
from union with my God ; I am convinced, O
Lord, that I ought to yield up myself to thee, by
my own free choice and voluntary act. O bring
me to this surrender of myself to thee; and make
me faithful and hearty in it.

My Lord! break all the ties that detain me
from thee : and take me for thine own : yea, keep
and continue me in thy fear and love, to my life's
end. And upon my mind and memory, upon my
will and affections, upon my heart and conscience,
write Holiness to the Lord ; and every way make
me willing to be wholly thine. Let thy will ever
be a law to me in all things : and melt down this
stubborn will into a ready compliance with thy
holy pleasure. O let me love what thou lovest,
and hate what thou hatest. Let my soul and
body, and all the faculties and powers of both, be
under thy control, and be employed to thy glory.
Let all that I am, and all that I have, be thine ;
not in pretence only, but in deed and in truth.
And never let me think it hard to renounce all

FOR A PUBLIC FAST. 97

for thee, who art infinitely better to me than ten
thousand worlds.

O help me so sincerely to deny myself; that I
may own no guide and ruler, but my great Lord
and Proprietor: that my eyes may be ever towards
thee, and my whole dependence upon thee ; and
that in all things thou mayest ever be regarded
and preferred and glorified by me, through Jesus
Christ. Amen.

PBAYER AND HUMILIATION FOE A PUBLIC
FAST-DAY.

[SEE ALSO PAGE 74.]

OLORD God, glorious in holiness, and of purer
eyes than to behold iniquity without abhor-
rence of it, and indignation against it ! how shall
man, sinful man, that drinks iniquity like water,
appear before thee ! And how shall we, vile and
frail, polluted and depraved as we are, show our-
selves in the presence of such a just and holy God
as thou art ! When we look upon thy perfect
law, and see what we should be, what manner of
persons in all holy conversation and godliness;
and when we reflect on our own hearts and lives,
and find what we are, how wanting in our duty,
and how contrary to what thou requirest of us ;
we cannot come into thy presence, O Lord, with-
out confusion of face, and anguish of soul, and
remorse of conscience, to think how foolishly and
7

98 FOR A PUBLIC FAST.

wickedly we have acted; and how abject and
wretched we have made ourselves.

Besides that we brought with us a corrupt
nature into the world, full of strangeness to thee
our God, and full of enmity against thy holy,
good, and righteous laws ; we have mis-spent the
most of our time here in a neglect of thy work,
and in disobedience to thy word : daily multiply-
ing our offences against thee, as thou hast multi-
plied thy blessings unto us. O the precious time
that we have lost, the means that we have ne-
glected, the mercies that we have abused, the
calls and warnings, the offers and invitations, that
we have disregarded ! What little regard have
we had of thee ! what little fear of offending
thee ! Alas ! O Lord, we have grievously insulted
thy glorious Majesty, and daringly trampled
upon thy holy laws.

O the crying sins and abominations that pre-
vail in every place ! QThe swearing and drun-
kenness, the pride and uncleanness, the cruel en-
mity and injustice, the corrupt -communication
and ungodly conversation whereby God is so
greatly dishonoured and provoked every day.]
And O how large a share have we had in adding
to the public guilt ; sinning, as we have done, in
all estates and affairs, in all relations and circum-
stances of our lives ! And not only through
weakness and surprise, and the violence of tempta-
tions; but many times knowingly, wilfully, and
presumptuously; with a high hand, and stiff

FOR A PUBLIC FAST. 99

neck, against thee, our Maker and our Judge !
And O how great a weight have we added to all
our other sins, by the hardness of our hearts, and
our impenitent continuance in our sins ! commit-
ting great sins with little remorse, little penitent
concernment for all the evils whereof we have
been guilty ! Yea, Lord, how unsuitable still are
our hearts and lives to those holy rules, which
thy word gives us in charge to follow ! So much
is there still amiss with us. and wanting in us.

' O f

that it is of thy great mercy we are not consumed :
it is because thy compassions fail not, that we
have still these opportunities to humble ourselves
before thee and to cry for mercy.

We have not glorified thee, O Lord, in bearing
fruits of holiness answerable to thy revealed will;
but we desire to give glory to God, in confessing
our sins, and humbling our souls, and acknow-
ledging our desert ; and more especially would
we admire and magnify the riches of thy grace,
which has spared us so long a time, and showed
us such marvellous kindness still, notwithstanding
all the high provocations of our sins. Lord, we
have heard (and, blessed be thy name, we have
found) that the King of heaven is a merciful
king ; that with thee, our God, there is mercy ;
that our sins, though great and manifold, may be
pardoned; and that our souls may yet be re-
covered, and healed, and saved. O help us so to
judge and condemn ourselves, that we may not
be judged of the Lord, and condemned with the

100 FOR A PUBLIC FAST.

world. Lay not our sins to our charge ; but put
them to the account of thy Son, our Saviour,
whom thou hast given to be the propitiation for
our sins , and in whom thou art reconciled to a
guilty world. For his sake, O good Lord, give
us repentance and pardon for all the sins whereby
we have offended thee : whether they be our sins
of omission, or commission; our sins of weakness
or wilfulness ; our failings or presumptions ; our
sins of ignorance, or such as we have committed
against light and knowledge : O gracious Lord,
humble us duly under the sense of them, and
absolve us thoroughly from the guilt of them. O
set our sins in order ) 'fore us, and make us to
know our transgressions ; make every one of us
to search and try our ways, that we may turn to
the Lord, and bring forth fruits meet for repent-
ance. May we not only loathe ourselves in our
own si«ht for all the evils whereof we have been

O

guilty, but also loathe, as much as ever we have
loved, the things which have displeased thee. O
that we may forsake our sins, not only in the
outward commission, but in the inward affection ;
not reserving to ourselves any sin or lust to be
spared, but keeping at a distance from every evil
and accursed thing : cleansing ourselves from all
filthiness of flesh and spirit, and endeavouring to
perfect holiness in the fear of God !

We have been accessary to the accumulated
heinous guilt that endangers us all, and calls for
judgment on the land. O that we may now con-

FOR A PUBLIC FAST/ 1" '> > 'J011

tribute our help, by the humiliation of our souls
un«l the reformation of our lives, to save our na-
tion, and to turn away the anger which is grne
out nguiiist us, that we perish not ! Save us, O
Lord, from our sins, which are the enemies of
our own house ; more mischievous to us than any
other evils or enemies abroad. O pour out a
>pirit of serious repentance and reformation upon
the whole nation ; to heal the distempers of our
souls, to curb the disorders of our lives, and to
recover the decayed power of godliness in the
land : yea, Lord, prepare and dispose us, not only
for thy temporal mercies, but for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. Help us so to
turn from the evil of our ways, that thou mayst
turn from the fierceness of thy wrath, and cause
thine anger towards us to cease. O that we may
fear the rod, and him who has appointed it ! and
so prepare to meet thee, in the way of thy judg-
ments, that thou mayst have thoughts of peace
towards us, and not of evil ; to give us an ex-
pected end, and the desired issue out of all our
troubles.

Thou canst show us great and mighty things,
which we know not, and canst exceed all our
expectations, as well as our deservings, by thy
bountiful favours : and though thou mightst
make us know the worth of slighted mercies, by
the want of them, and deprive us of all the good,
which we have so greatly abused, yet, O how do
the promises of thy word., and the frequent ex-

10* FOR A PUBLIC FAST.

perience which we have had of thy mercy, en-
courage us still with hope to look unto our God,
and to wait for the salvation of our Lord ! O how
long (in all provocations) hast thou spared ns !
And how often (in our distresses) sent a wonder-
ful redemption to us ! To thee, who 1ms I helped
and delivered, we still look for help and deliver-
ance. O our God ! arise and help us, and deliver
us, for thy mercy's sake; for the sake of that
mercy which first made us thy people, and still
has owned us for thy peculiar care. O do not
abhor us, nor forsake us, for thy name's sake;
but be jealous for thy land, and pity thy people.
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts ; and cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

But, O our God, if thou dost not see fit to turn
away the evils from us, prepare us for them, and
support us under them, and bring us out of them
purified as gold. Let us not sink and perish in
our calamities, but receive spiritual good from
temporal evils; and find the light momentary
afflictions to work for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory. And though thou
shouldst feed us with bread of adversity and
water of affliction, yet let not our teachers be re-
moved into corners : bring us not under a famine
of the word ; nor give us over to the formality o
a lifeless profession : but whilst thou continuest
to us the means of grace, O continue thy blessing
upon them, and send not leanness withal into our
souls. Though thou permit the floods and storms

FOR THE FAST-DAY EVENING. 103

to arise, yet fortify us so by thy grace, that we
may not be moved by any of the afflictions ; nor
turn the advantage of suffering for thee, into an
occasion of falling from thee.

Seeing the truth itself will not make us free if
we are not true to it ; nor the purest religion be
our defence if we continue to walk unworthy of
our profession ; O help us, Lord, to rid our hands
and our hearts of all the accursed things that

o

provoke thy wrath and indignation against us.
Let us wisely consider of thy doings, and know
the time of our visitation : give us grace that we
may hearken to thy calls, and take thy warnings,
and improve thy mercies, while we have them :
let us now follow the conduct of thy good provi-
dence, and comply with all the gracious methods
which thou art using to reclaim us, that we may
be delivered from the evil to come, and be for
ever happy in thy presence. Hear, Lord, and
answer us for the sake of Jesus Christ our blessed
Lord and Saviour. Amen.

CONFESSION AND PRAYER FOR THE EVENING
OF A PUBLIC FAST-DAY.

OLORD most high and holy, the God of all
power and glory, against whom we have
greatly sinned, and who by our sins hast been
highly provoked, we are under a necessity still to
come and appear before thee; nor dare we keep

104 FOR THE FAST-DAY EVENING.

away from thee. But O! with what confidence
can we look up to the Majesty of heaven, whom
we have so much offended!

Well may we be abashed and struck iLwn, to
bethink ourselves of all the evil that we have
done, and all the sins of heart and life which \vr
still commit: when we remember, O Lord, mul
consider thy perfect understanding of every par-
ticular, thy holiness to hate, thy justice to requite,
and thy power to punish every wicked thing, we
are even confounded before thee.

We fall down, and humble ourselves at thy
footstool, O blessed and glorious God, confessing
the grievous guilt of all our sins, and our just
desert of thy heavy judgments. For we cannot
but own ourselves to be some of those degenerate
children whom thou hast nourished and brought
up, and that have rebelled against thee. Yea,
the very forbearance which thou hast exercised,
has emboldened us to sin the more against thee.

Holy Father! we are filled with confusion, to
think how inconsistent we have been with our-
selves: we call ourselves children of God, mem-
bers of Christ, and heirs of glory; we profess to
take the gospel as our rule, and to believe all the
great eternal things contained in it; and yet we
walk as if we did not know the privileges that
we enjoy, or regard the relations in which we
stand; alas! how unsuitable is this conduct to
our profession.

Surely this may not only fill our faces with

FOR THE FAST-DAY EVKKING. 105

s!iame,but our hearts with dread; lest our very pro-
fession of thy holy religion should rise up in judg-
ment against us, to aggravate our condemnation.

We have been vain and carnal, proud and un-
thankful in our health and prosperity; and sullen
and froward, murmuring and desponding in sea-
sons of adversity. The kindness that should have
allured us unto thee, and encouraged us the more
faithfully and cheerfully to serve thee, vhas caused
us rather to be forgetful of thee, and to wax
wanton against thee. And the correction that
should have driven us out of our sins, and hastened
us to flee for the life of our souls, has but put us
out of patience, and filled us with prejudice
against thy righteous hand, and with hard and
unworthy thoughts of our God. In this manner
we have held fast our sins, notwithstanding all
thy various methods to alienate us from them.

Yea, to thee, O Lord, who searchest the heart,
and triest the reins, we must acknowledge and
bewail the sins of our hearts and minds; our vain
thoughts and proud imaginations, our impure and
covetous desires, our envious and malicious pro-
jects. These have corrupted the fountain, and
defiled the habitation of thy blessed Spirit. These
are the seeds and roots of all the other evils in
our lives; and render us even as criminal in thy
sight, as if we had outwardly acted, what we
have thus inwardly devised. These vile inclina-
tions, this proneness to evil, (this approving of it,
consenting to it, and delighting in it) carries so

106 FOR THE FAST-DAY EVENING.

much guilt and malignity along with it, that even
for this, thou mightst justly abhor us, and con-
demn us in that day when thou shalt judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ.

Thus we must criminate and arraign ourselves
before thee; confessing that iniquities prevail
against us, and that our sins still retain in great
measure the ascendant over us! Still we are
offending our holy Lord; and still we carry in us
the corrupt nature, the carnal mind, which are
enmity against God, and which justly expose us
to thy heaviest displeasure.

We read of such as cannot cease from sin : and
such, O Lord, thou knowest us in a great measure
to be ; that have brought ourselves under the sad
necessity of sinning against thee; and so en-
tangled our guilty souls in the tempter's snare,
as to be taken captive by him, even at his will.

We call to mind with shame and remorse, how
we have provoked thee to jealousy, and affronted
thy glorious Majesty by the frequency of our sins
and the heinousness of our offences.

But though we are constrained to acknowledge
what great and provoking sinners we have been,
yet O how superficial and hypocritical has been
our repentance ! Even when we talk of humili-
ation, and pretend to it, and argue for it, O Lord,
thou knowest how seldom we have engaged in it,
arid how slightly we have performed it, even on
the days that were more especially set apart for
it. How hard and unrelenting have been our

FOR THE FAST-DAY EVENING. 107

hearts ! and how loth and backward have we been
to this most needful work!

O merciful God! humble us, for that we have
been no more humbled; and lay not to our charge
the sins of those services which we have so ill
performed. And seeing that unrepented sins
are the cause of thy dreadful judgments, O that
the fear of thy judgments may drive us out of all
such sins! And when the wrath of God is re-
vealed from heaven against them, O let us not
dare to continue in them. When the axe is laid
to the root of the tree, and thy hand is lifted up,
as ready to execute vengeance upon us, O that
we may be so warned as to be reclaimed; and
bring forth such fruits meet for repentance, that
we may not be hewn down and cast into the fire,
nor die and perish in our sins; but may find a
way of escape, and mercy from the Lord, and
grace to help in every time of need.

And the Lord in mercy pity our frailties and
infirmities, and forgive us all our sinful neglects
and iniquities. And for what is still wanting in
us, O be thou graciously pleased to accept the
full and perfect merits and righteousness of thy
dear Son, our most holy Saviour: and let his pre-
cious blood be heard speaking for us, where we
have nothing to say for ourselves: and where we
are so unworthy to be heard on our own account.

Be merciful, O God, to this sinful nation, that
has so long enjoyed and so much abused thy rich
blessings, and still goes on to provoke thee daily.

108 FOR THE FAST-DAY EVENING.

O forgive the many crying sins,, for which thou
mightst justly abhor us, and reject us, and lay us
desolate, and so forsake us utterly, as to he favour-
able to us no more. Yet grant us thy grace, we
beseech thee, so to repent and amend, that we
may be spared, and saved from all the judgments
which we have so richly deserved.

O that all thy warnings and threatenings and
chastenings, may not leave us still an unrelent-
ing, incorrigible people, nor pass over us, without
working an humble submission and unfeigned
repentance in us! O that we may find reconcili-
ation with our God, in humbling ourselves before
thee, returning unto thee, and bringing forth such
fruits of new and better obedience, as (through
the Lord our righteousness) shall be favourably
accepted by thee. Let us not sink under our
fears, nor be ruined by our sins; but let us be
plucked as brands out of the fire; to survive our
dread and danger, and to see the good of thy
chosen, and rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
and to glory with thine inheritance.

And for all the mercy which thou hast still
remembered toward us; and for all thy wonder-
ful patience with us; and for that continued
matter and occasion of thankfulness which we
have yet daily before us; not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us, but to thy name be all praise and
glory rendered, with humble and grateful hearts,
by us, and by all thy people, now and for ever-
more. Amen.

FOR CHRISTMAS. 109

PRAYER AND PRAISE

UPON THK OCCASION OP OL'R BT/E*.SKI> SAVIOUll'8
COMING- INTO THE WOULD.

BLKvSSING, and honour, and glory, and power
he to him that sitteth upon the throne, and
to the Lamb, for ever and ever! O Lord God of
our salvation ! thou hast remembered us in our
low estate : thou hast raised up a great salvation
and a mighty deliverance for us; thou hast sent
thine only-begotten Son to heal the sinful, to help
the miserable, and to save the lost. None but
thy blessed self, O Lord, knoweth the greatness
of that gift, which thou hast conferred upon us;
(the greatest that thou couldst give, or man re-
ceive;) none can duly estimate thy mercy in
giving thine only Son, to be our almighty Saviour,
to deliver us from the miseries of hell, and to
exalt us to thrones of glory. O how wonderful
have been the designs of thy love, and the counsels
of thy wisdom! that thou shouldst recover our
lost souls, and work for them a salvation so
worthy of thyself! That he, who is thy fellow,
should be manifested in the flesh, to destroy the
works of the devil ! and that the eternally beloved
of thy soul should be made the Son of man in
order that we might be made the children of God !
O what manner of love has the Father bestowed
upon us! how infinitely does it exceed all that
we can ever say of it! O that all might praise

110 FOR CHRISTMAS.

thee, O Lord, for thy goodness, and for thy
wonderful works unto the children of men! O
that we in particular might receive this great
mystery of godliness with the deepest reverence
and most lively gratitude! Let our souls magnify
the Lord, and our spirits rejoice in God our
Saviour! Yea, for ever blessed be the Lord God
of Israel, that has so visited and redeemed his
people.

And now that thou hast laid help upon one
that is mighty, and found a ransom for us, O
help us, blessed God, to entertain and welcome
the joyful news, that Jesus Christ is come into
the world to save sinners. Father of mercies!
prepare our hearts to embrace that thine inesti-
mable gift. Let him who came into the world in
the fulness of time, now come into our souls in
the fulness of his grace. Let him who was mi-
raculously formed in the virgin's womb, be spiri-
tually formed in our hearts. O thou great Lord
and lover of souls; remember us with the favour
which thou bearest to thy people, and visit us
with the joy of thy salvation. O make the way
of salvation plain before us, that we may know
where our help lies, and what we must do to be
saved. And incline and quicken us, O Lord, to
comply with the gracious designs of thy mercy,
and to receive writh all thankfulness that grace
of thine which bringeth salvation. O blessed
Saviour, be thou an effectual Saviour unto us:
save us from our sins, that thou mayest also save

FOR THE PASSION-DAY. Ill

us from the wrath to come. Redeem us from all
iniquity, that thou mayest also redeem us from
everlasting misery. Thou earnest down to earth,
to raise us up to heaven : thou tookest our nature,
that we might partake of thine: O let us then
experience the mighty power of thy grace; let it
heal our depraved natures, let it sanctify our
sinful souls, let it make us lovers and followers
of thy holy ways; and let those good things,
which accompany salvation, be multiplied unto
us exceedingly, through the knowledge of our
incarnate Lord. Let the great and wonderful
things which thou hast done for us, in revealing
thy salvation, and in opening a door of hope to us,
dwell richly in our minds; and let a sense of
thine infinite loving-kindness ever constrain us
to love and serve thee with all our heart, and
mind, and soul, and strength: even so, O God
and Father, for thy dear Son's sake; to whom,
together with thyself and the Holy Ghost, Three
Persons in one glorious Godhead, be equal and
everlasting glory. Amen.

A PRAYER ON THE OCCASION OF OUR
BLESSED SAVIOUR'S DEATH.

OGOD, the Father of mercies, and of our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom every mercy is
vouchsafed and derived unto us; thou didst create
us after thine own blessed image, in a holy and

112 FOR THE PASSION-DAY.

happy state: but we have defaced the work of thy
hands, and have brought ourselves into a state of
alienation from thee, and of enmity against thee.
Yet thou hast not dealt with us as enemies, or left
us in the sad ruins of our fall; but hast pitied us
when lying in our blood, and hast bid us live.
Thou hast even given thine only-begotten Son to
die for us, to save us from that everlasting death,
which is the due wages of our sins. Him, ()
most holy Lord God, thou sparedst not, that thou
mightst spare us, and make us eternal monuments
of thy saving mercy. O what amazing unspeak-
able love is this, that, even when enemies, we
should be reconciled to God by the death of his
Son ! But O the cursed nature of sin, that needed
such an atonement; and the inexorable justice of
my God, that required it ; and the incompre-
hensible love of my Saviour, who offered it upon
the cross! O that we could bear these things
always in remembrance! that we could hate sin
with a perfect hatred! that we could stand in awe
of our God, and fear to offend him ! and that we
could love that adorable Saviour, who bought us
at the inestimable price of his own blood! Most
blessed God, we desire to bless and magnify thy
name for revealing to us this stupendous mystery.
By it we abide; and upon it we depend for the
pardon of our sins, and for our whole acceptance
with thee, both here and for ever. We believe, O
God, that thy dear Son has fully discharged our
debt; and that nothing at all remains to be paid

FOR THE PASSION-DAY. 113

by them, for whom thou art pleased to accept his
infinite satisfaction. And seeing that there is
balm in Gilead, and a physician that is able to
heal us, O let not our souls be unhealod ; let not
the great things which our Lord Redeemer hath
done and endured for perishing sinners, be lost
unto us : but let the same be mercifully accepted
upon our account, as the payment of our debt. O
let not the blood of Jesus Christ (as to us) be shed
in vain; but let it purge and purify us from all
our sins, and make our peace with thee, against
whom we have so greatly transgressed ; let us be
healed by his stripes, and find his death unto us
a savour of life.

Though we are sinful and unclean, yet what
pollution and defilement cannot this fountain,
opened for sin and uncleanness, wash and cleanse
us from ! Having therefore such an all-sufficient
Saviour to repair to, let us not be faithless, but
believing that Christ is our Lord and our God,
who loved and redeemed us, and washed us from
our sins in his own blood. O that we may know
him, and the fellowship of his sufferings, and be
rendered conformable to his death ! Let the cross
of Christ be the means of crucifying the world
unto us, and us unto the world. Pardon, O good
Lord, all our forgetfulness of thee : and make us
to know more of the love wherewith thou hast
loved us; and touch our hearts with such a power-
ful sense of thy love, that we may make better
returns of love to thee, who hast done such great
8

114 FOll THE RESURRECTION.

tilings for our souls. Let us never forget or slight
such unparalleled kindness, but be constrained by
it to live unto him who died for us, and rose again.
C) tli at the life which we now live, may be by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved us, and gave
himself for us ! Let us more and more abound in
thy love. Blessed Lord ! let the serving and
enjoying of thee be ever preferred above our chief
joy. And let nothing in the world ever be so
dear to us as the name of our adorable Emmanuel,
who 1ms given the highest demonstration of love
that ever could be given to our perishing souls.
And for \vlmt thou hast done for us, be all possi-
ble glory and honour and praise ascribed unto
tlieci. O most blessed Saviour and Redeemer,
by aiJ the Israel of God, both now and evermore.
Amen.

PRAYER AND PRAISE ON THE OCCASION OF
OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR'S RESURRECTION.

T> LESSED be the God and Father of our Lord
-13 Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant
mercy, has begotten us again to a lively hope,
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Blessed be he, who liveth and was dead ; and
behold, he is alive for evermore ; Amen : and
has the keys of death and hell. The Lord liveth,
and blessed be our rock, and let the God of our
salvation be exalted. He hath borne our griefs

FOR THE RESURRECTION. 115

and carried our sorrows,, and has wrought eternal
redemption for us; with his own right hand and
holy arm hath he gotten himself the victory:
having loosed the pains of death; because it was
impossible he should be holden of it. Adored be
that glorious Sun of Righteousness who is risen
with healing in his wings; and hath showed that
he is able to save himself; and to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God through him.
Our eyes are unto thee, O Lord, our life, our
strength, and our Redeemer, who hast all power
in heaven and in earth; to whom nothing is im-
possible or difficult: who quickenest the dead,
even souls dead in sin, as well as bodies dead in
the grave; and hast life in thyself, to give it to
whomsoever thou wilt. O that we may know
thee, and the power of thy resurrection ! Let us
find it effectual to raise us out of the grave of
our corruptions^ to newness and holiness of life;
that, having part in the first resurrection, we may
never be subjected to the second death. Speak
death to our sins, O Lord, that our souls may
live, and for ever bless thy name. Thou, O
Christ, art our life; and in thee is all fulness of
whatever we want: O give us the life, which
thou earnest to impart: and let us have it more
abundantly. Let us have such life from thee, as
may enable us to live unto thee, and that entirely
and cheerfully ; even as long as we have any life
and being. Amen

116 FOR THE ASCENSION.

PRAYER AND PRAISE ON THE OCCASION OF
OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR'S ASCENSION.

THOU art the King of Glory, O Christ: thou
hast ascended on high, and led captivity it-
self captive; dragging after thy triumphant cha-
riot thy vanquished enemies. Thou art exalted
far beyond all principalities and powers, and en-
throned in the highest glory in thy kingdom,
where saints and angels, even all the host of
heaven, admire and adore thee. Be thou exalted,
Lord, and reign in the greatness of thy power and
majesty, until thou hast brought all enemies into
subjection under thy feet. But, Lord, remember
us. now thou art in thy kingdom. O regard the
supplications, and relieve the necessities, of thy
poor servants here below. Save, Lord, and let
the King of heaven hear us when we call. And
O that we may feel the powerful attraction of thy
grace, to draw up our minds and desires from the
perishable enjoyments of this world, to those un-
speakable and everlasting glories above, where
thou sittest at the right hand of God. O let us
lay up our treasure, and have our conversation,
with thee in heaven; and so love thine appearing,
as to be ever looking for and hasting to the com-
ing of that blessed day, when we shall be dis-
solved and be with Christ; that when Christ, who
is our life, shall appear, we also may appear with
him in glory. Enable us now to ascend and

ON THE HOLY GHOST. 11?

dwell with thee in the constant exercise of faith
arid love; that, in the last day, we may personally
ascend in soul and body, to be for ever with the
Lord; there, together with thy whole triumphant
church, to see and admire, to love and bless, to
praise and glorify thee, O blessed God our Saviour,
world without end. Amen.

A PRAYER ON THE OCCASION OF THE
COMING OF THE HOLY GHOST.

OTHOU infinite, eternal Spirit, the Lord and
giver of life, who workest all in all ; and
especially workest and abidest in the souls of men !
pardon (we beseech thee) all the guilt we have
contracted in resisting thy motions, and quench-
ing the flames which thou hast at any time en-
kindled in our breasts. And be pleased so to
enlighten our minds, and pur fy our hearts, that
we may be fit to receive and entertain thee, as
the guide and comforter of our souls. O thou
Spirit of truth, lead us into all truth ; and bring
all needful things out of the word to our remem-
brance ; and set them home powerfully upon our
hearts, to influence our lives, and to do us good
in every time of our need. Whatsoever grace is
lacking in us, O form it in our hearts by thy
Holy Spirit : and establish and increase what
thou hast already wrought in us. Excite and
stir us up to all good ; and enable us for the per-

1 18 ON THE HOLY GHOST.

formance of it, and engage us to continue and per-
sist in it.

O come down, Lord, as fire, upon us, to con-
sume our dross, and to make clean our hearts,
and inflame them with heavenly love; that we
may devoutly relish thy holy things, and be lively
in following thy holy ways. O be thou a power-
ful principle of life, and light, and love, and of
all grace and holiness in our souls ; to illuminate
our minds ; to spiritualize our affections ; to pa-
cify our consciences ; and to bring our souls out
of every dangerous, self-destroying course, into
the paths of righteousness, even to that way of
life, which is above to the wise, to depart from
hell beneath. O blessed Lord, restrain us from
grieving thy Holy Spirit, whereby we are sealed
to the day of redemption. And cast us not away
from thy presence. Take not thy Holy Spirit
from us. O make us so tractable under his holy
motions, that we may experience his heavenly
consolations. And let the joy in the Holy Ghost
be more to us than all the pleasures of the world.
O blessed Spirit ! be thou ever with our spirits ;
to heal our distempers, and help our infirmities,
and work mightily upon our hearts by thy grace;
until our souls are fitted for that glory, which is
unspeakable and everlasting. Amen.

FOR ANY SAINT'S DAY. 119

A PRAYER ON THE COMMEMORATION OF
ANY SAINT.

OGOD of all grace, who art pleased to call
out of this present world a peculiar people
to thyself, and to pour out thy Spirit upon them,
and to make them shine as lights in the midst of
a crooked and perverse generation, and to set them
forth as examples to the rest of mankind; we
bless thy holy name, that thou hast not left us
destitute of such helps and patterns, as might
serve to show us how practicable is our duty, and
what encouragement we have to set ourselves to
the performance of it. Stir us up, we pray thee,
to take that more excellent way, wherein they
(with such happy success) have gone before us;
and constrain us to become followers of them,
as they were of Christ. And seeing that we are
encompassed with so great a cloud of witnesses, O
that we may lay aside every weight, and the
sin that does so easily beset us ; and run with
patience the race that is set before us ! Teach
and enable us, O King of Saints, to make a right
improvement of those gifts and graces, whereby
thy servants of old adorned their holy profession ;
and so to imitate their virtues, as to convince the
world, that the righteous is indeed more excellent
than his neighbour.

O that we may never persecute thy saints, nor
madly despise those who are as the apple of thine

120 FOE ANY SAINT'S DAY.

eye ; whose great care is to approve themselves
faithful in thy covenant, and zealous for thy
glory. May we ever hold such in the highest
reputation whilst living, as well as count their
memories precious when they are dead. O hea-
venly Father, let them be dearest to us that are
dearest to thyself. And let all our delight be
in the saints that are in the earth ; of whom
the world is not worthy ; notwithstanding that
they are so abused by the world, as if unworthy
to live in it. O let us not be conformed to
this world ; nor follow the multitude, to do
evil ; but be followers of those who (through
faith and patience) do already inherit thy glori-
ous promises : and may we so live the life of the
righteous, that we may also die their death. Help
us, O Lord our God, so to imitate thy saints here
in their holy living, that hereafter we may be
numbered with them in glory everlasting. As
we desire and hope for their blessed end, O let
us love and follow their godly way ; and make
the communion of saints an object of our pursuit,
as well as an article of our faith. Let us be lovers
of all good men, honouring them that fear the
Lord, and esteeming them very highly in love for
their work's sake. And, O Lord, increase the
number of thy faithful people in all places, and
add daily to the church those who shall be
followers of God, as dear children. Let thy
kingdom come ; and thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven ; that thy church may grow and

PRAYER UNDER ABUSES. 121

flourish; until we, with all thy servants departed
in the Lord, meet together in the kingdom of our
Father, to live in thy presence, and to enjoy thy
love, and to glorify thy name, world without end.
Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER ABUSES AND PROVO-
CATIONS.

OMOST high and wise, holy and righteous
Judge of all the earth, the great author and
lover of peace and truth : thou knowest my fool-
ishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. How
far I have been accessary to bring down these
troubles upon my own head, and how much worse
than these I deserve at thy hands, is all naked
and open before thee. I submit, Lord, to thy
correction, whomsoever thou shalt use as the in-
strument of thy displeasure. And O that the
ill-will of men may quicken me the more to ex-
amine myself for that which is offensive in thy
sight; and make me more careful to have my
heart right with God, and to be approved in thy
sight.

But seeing my heart condemns me not in the
present case, for being the cause of all this wrath
and clamour, and malice and vengeance; and that
I apprehend myself now to suffer wrongfully ;
being slanderously reported, falsely accused,
shamefully and despitefully used, and hated
without a cause ; I come with boldness to pour

122 PRAYER UNDER ABUSES.

out my complaint before thee, O God, and to
shelter myself under the shadow of thy wings.
Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive
with me ; and save me from those that rise up
against me. Though, for my love, they are my
adversaries, let me give myself unto prayer; and
not avenge myself, but rather give place unto
wrath, and commit my cause to thee, who judgest
righteously. O convince my adversaries of the
error of their judgment, and the evil of their way.
And the remainder of their wrath, O do thou
restrain ; and make a way for me to escape from
the stormy wind and tempest.

I confess, O Lord, thou mightst justly use them
that provoke me, as thy scourge to chastise me
for provoking thee: and I know not, but such now
may be thy pleasure. O help me then patiently
to bear the indignation of the Lord ; because I
have so greatly sinned against thee. And how-
ever I am pursued and injured, O let me not
render evil for evil, or railing for railing, but
contrary -wise blessing : and make me duly to
consider him, who endured so great contradiction
of sinners against himself; that I may be not
wearied or faint in my mind. If the man after
thine own heart had so many implacable enemies,
that not only traduced his name, but sought his
life ; if thy holy apostle was called a babbler and
troubler of the world, and a pestilent fellow, not
fit to live ; yea, if the Son of thine eternal love
had the character of a wine-bibber, a friend of

PRAYER UNDER ABUSES. 123

publicans and sinners, a deceiver of the people,
and a dealer with the devil : if he that deserved
so well of men, fared so ill at their hands ; if he
that did no sin was persecuted, as if he had been
the chief of sinners ; if he suffered so much evil,
who never deserved any ; O why should such an
unworthy sinful wretch as I, to whom belongs
shame and confusion of face, so heinously resent
it, when called to endure what is only the cor-
rection of my own wickedness ! Though I de-
serve it not from them, yet, O how much worse do
I deserve from thy heavenly Majesty, whom I have
offended by my sins, and who mayst justly punish
me by their hands. Whatever then men may say
or do against me, let me be as a deaf man that
heareth not; and as a dumb man that openeth not
his mouth ; little regarding the anger of man, if
I can but be happy in the favour of my God.
O Lord, keep back thy servant from giving any
just provocation : and let me not suffer as an evil
doer ; nor let any offence come by me, that shall
bring down thy displeasure upon me. Then, when
persecuted for righteousness* sake, I shall rejoice
and bless thy name, and give thee thanks and
praise, for all thy grace and goodness to me in
Jesus Christ. Amen*

! — ^^^^^^^^^ '

124 UNDER INFAMY AND DISGRACE.

A PRAYER UNDER INFAMY AND DISGRACE.

OLORD ! righteousness belongs to thee ; but
to me confusion of face, as it is this day.
Shame is the portion of my sins ; and I deserve
no better than to be slighted and despised my-
self, for having slighted thy laws, and despised
the glorious Majesty of heaven. If I had been
innocent, I might have been confident, to lift up
my face without spot : but woe is me, that I have
sinned : I have made myself vile, and fit only to
be trampled on. As far as I am guilty, I take
shame to myself, as the reward of my folly and
wickedness. And O that I may so feel it here,
that I may not hereafter awake to shame and
everlasting contempt! And let not any that wait
on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my
sake : yea, where I suffer wrongfully, yet, Lord,
help me to take it patiently. Though I am re-
proached for the name of Christ, and persecuted
for righteousness* sake, I shall not droop under
the censures and scorns of men, if I can but find
acceptance and favour in thy sight. It is not
men's applause or reproach that can make us
happy or miserable : though we have their good
opinion and commendation, what are we the bet-
ter, if we have made thee our enemy? And though
we are detested by them, what are we the worse,
if only we have approved ourselves to thee our
God ? Thy word, O Lord, teaches us that if we

UNDER INFAMY AND DISGRACE. 125

suffer as Christians, we should not be ashamed,
but glorify thee on this behalf. And thine apos-
tles, who were made as the filth of the world and
the offscouring of all things, rejoiced that they
were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name
of Jesus. Though therefore I pass through evil
report, as well as good, let me account it but a
small thing to be judged of man's judgment.
And if thou, my God, wilt have me to be low in
the world, yea, even a hissing and proverb of re-
proach, let me not be so much concerned to avoid
the disgrace as to cut off all just occasion for it ;
and to be more careful and diligent in seeking
the honour that cometh of God.

If men speak evil of what they understand not,
if perverse scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
oppose and deride me, O let not thy holy religion
ever sink in my estimation on account of their
hard speeches, or cruel usage, but enable me to
look unto Jesus the Lord of glory, who was de-
spised and rejected by those whom he came to
save : and let me little regard what indignities
they cast on me, if only I may be thereby ren-
dered more conformable to his blessed image.
Enable me to follow him in meekness and pa-
tience : and let my eyes be ever towards him as
the author and the finisher of my faith : who
having himself despised and surmounted the
shame, now sitteth on the right hand of the
Majesty on high ; from whence he shall quickly
come, in all the glory of his Father, to judge the

126 UNDER CROSSES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS.

world : to whose name be all blessing and praise,
world without end. Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER CROSSES AND DISAPPOINT-
MENTS IN OUR AFFAIRS.

OM Y Lord ! I live by thee ; and on thee I
continually depend for life, and breath, and
all things. Thy providence has appointed my
station, and ordered whatever concerns me in the
world. If not so much as a sparrow falls to the
ground without thee, and the very hairs of our
head are all numbered, thou canst not be uncon-
cerned in the changes and accidents that befall
thy servants : and the things that appear casual
to us are the appointments of thy good pleasure.
Restrain me, therefore, O Lord, from fretting
myself in any wise to do evil. And help me to
take up my cross, and follow my meek and lowly
Saviour, in self-denial, and in quiet submission
to the will of my heavenly Father.

O who am I, sinful wretch, that I should never
be crossed, nor have anything to trouble me?
Thy will be done, O Lord, how much soever my
own corrupt will may be opposed and mortified.
Let me desire nothing but the glory of thy name :
and, if thou seest it needful to try me in the fur-
nace of affliction, enable me to kiss thy rod, and
to learn obedience by the things which I suffer.
And O grant, that the things which disappoint

UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 127

my carnal wishes, may indeed be over-ruled for
the glory of thy nannj, and for the furtherance of
my own welfare in the great day of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.

UNDER ANY GREAT DIFFICULTIES AND
ARDUOUS AFFAIRS.

OLORD, thou art a God of knowledge ; thine
understanding is infinite ; nor art thou ever
at a loss to effect what is best for us. But thou
knowest our thoughts, O Lord, that they are vain.
Our wisdom is often at a stand, so that we know
not what to do for ourselves. At this time espe-
cially our affairs are entangled ; we are perplexed
in our counsels ; nor can we find how to extricate
ourselves from the difficulties in which we are
involved. But a man's goings are of the Lord ;
how then can man understand his own way ? his
heart may advise his way, but the Lord directs
his steps : there may be many devices in his
heart, but the counsel of the Lord, that shall
stand. If we lean not to our own understanding,
but in all our ways acknowledge thee, thou hast
promised, O Lord, to direct our paths : and when
we commit our way to thee, and trust in thee,
we have thy word, that thou wilt bring it to pass.
But thou hast pronounced woe to them that take
counsel, but not of thee; that cover with a cover-

128 UNDER LOSSES AND DAMAGES.

ing, but not of thy Spirit, and that have not
asked at thy mouth.

Our eyes therefore are unto thee, O God ; uid
to thee we seek now for wisdom, that we may be
able to discern the path of duty. Without thee,
O Lord, our wisdom is folly : be thou therefore
graciously present in our counsels : and let us now
be taught of God, which way to take, and how
to act most agreeably to thy blessed will, and
most for our present and eternal welfare : we ask
it for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER LOSSES AND DAMAGE IN
OUR GOODS AND ESTATE.

BLESSED Lord ! thou art the great Proprie-
tor and Owner of all that we possess : the
world is thine, and the fulness thereof. And
whether thou givest, or takest away, it becomes
us to bless thy name in all. Thou hast made
me to abound with many things, of which others
are destitute : and if thou also makest me to want
what others abound with, yet teach me, O my
God, how to suffer need, as well as to abound ;
and in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be
content. And seeing that all things come alike
to all, and that no one knows love or hatred by
all that is before him, let me not hastily conclude
that thou art my enemy ; but rather hope that
thy chastisements are tokens and expressions of

IN TIME OF DANGEK. 129

thy love. Whatever I may lose, let me never
grieve, as one that has no hope of better things ;
but cheerfully commit myself to thee, to choose
my inheritance for me : and not to be anxious
about my worldly portion, so that I may but see
the joy of thy salvation. And, Lord, repair to
me these losses, in an infinitely better way, out
of thine own fulness, with the more precious
things that accompany salvation. Let me imitate
thy servants of old, who took joyfully the spoiling
of their goods, knowing that they had in heaven
a better and an enduring substance. O make
me now the more solicitous and industrious to lay
up treasure in heaven. And since I see how
little any thing is to be confided in here on earth,
O let me look less upon these temporal things
that are seen ; and be most of all concerned about
the things that are unseen and eternal. Let it
be henceforth my continual labour to provide well
for my soul, and to be rich towards God; that
when all things here shall fail me thou mayst
never fail me ; but be the strength of my heart,
and my portion for ever. Amen.

A PRAYER IN TIME OF THREATENING
DANGERS.

HEAT God, holy and just ! I am amazed
VJT to think of the dreadful wages which my
sins have merited. 'Fearfulness and trembling
9

J oO IN TIME OF DANGER.

are come upon me, and my spirit is overwhelmed,
and my heart fails me for fear : so that I know
not what to do. But mine eyes are upon thee,
my great Saviour and mighty Deliverer, to give
me that help, which it is in vain to expect from
man. Now that I \ m afraid, I will trust in thee ;
and under the shac'ow of thy wings. will I make
my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. O
my Lord, take me under thy fatherly care and
almighty protection : and save me from the hands
of my enemies, and from the evils which I dread.
O dispel the clouds ; and turn away the storms ;
and clear up the face of heaven, which is now
so blackened over my head. Thou, Lord, who
knowest how to deliver, and art never at a loss
to effect what thou wilt, command, I pray thee,
deliverances for me ; and be not far from me
when trouble is so nigh unto me : but let me find
thy help at hand, in this time of my extreme ne-
cessity.

O my God, thou hast been a shelter for me,
and a strong tower of defence against the enemy.
And though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou
wilt revive me : thou wilt stretch forth thy hand
against my enemy ; and thy right hand shall save
me. O my Saviour, I flee unto thee, to hide me.
Be thou pleased to defend me from them that
rise up against me. Consider the trouble that I
suffer of them that hate me ; and lead me in thy
righteousness, because of my enemies : make thy
way straight before my face. Deliver me, O

UNDER ACCIDENTS. 131

Lord, from the evil and violent man, and from
my persecutors, that are stronger than I. O let
not any that are my enemies wrongfully, rejoice
over me. But show me some token for good,
that they who hate me, may see it, and be
ashamed, because thou, Lord, hast holpen me^
and comforted me. O fortify me against that
fear of man which bringeth a snare. Let me
never be so awed by my fellow-creatures, as not
to stand in awe of thee, my God. Let me never
trespass against thee, to ingratiate myself with
them ; or decline thy service through fear of their
displeasure. Thou hast been my help : O be
thou pleased to come now to my succour, and to
show thyself graciously and powerfully on my
behalf. Hear me, Lord, for the glory of thy
name ; that I may see thy hand, and acknow-
ledge thy power, and admire thy love, and adore
thy goodness, while I have my being. Amen,
and Amen..

A PRAYER UNDER SAD ACCIDENTS AND
DISASTERS FALLING ON THE BODY.

OLORD, most high ! the all-disposing God \
who has taught us, that affliction rises not
out of the dust, nor comes without thine appoint-
ment, but as thy messenger to fulfil thy will ;
thou hast good reason to do as thou hast done,
though the reason may be hid from us. I know,

132 UNDER ACCIDENTS.

O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. O why
should a living man complain, a man for the
punishment of his sins ? Great God ! I humbly
submit to thy hand, and will bear the effects of
thy displeasure, which I have brought down upon
myself. O my Lord, give me patience, and
strength, and grace, proportionable to this great
trial ; and enable me so to demean myself under
it, that, after the affliction, I may find cause to
say, it was good for me to be afflicted. Thou that
hast torn and smitten, thou alone art able to heal
the breaches thou hast made. Do thou remem-
ber me in my low estate, for the sake of that
mercy of thine which endure th for ever : and
help me to find out the cursed things that have
provoked thee so to stretch out thy hand upon
me. O that I may search and try my ways, and
turn to the Lord, and bring forth fruits meet for
repentance. And for his sake who was wounded
for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniqui-
ties, Lord, forgive and heal my soul that has
sinned against thee : and, in thy good time, re-
store my body too, if it seem good in thy sight :
and make me to hear joy and gladness, that the
bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

If thou wilt, Lord, thou canst make me whole.
O may it be thy good pleasure now to glorify thy
power and mercy in my recovery : or, however
thou shalt dispose of this vile body, grant me, O
my God, an humble resignation to thy will, and

UNDER CONFINEMENT AND LOSS OF LIBERTY. 133

satisfaction with thy dealings : and make this
afflictive dispensation, which is so grievous at the
present, to have a favourable and happy issue.
O make it the messenger of thy love to my soul,
and the means of sanctifying and preparing it for
the Lord, and of fitting it to receive all the saving
mercies of my God, in Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER CONFINEMENT AND
LOSS OF LIBERTY.

OLORD my God, infinitely kind and good!
I have, through thy gracious indulgence,
long enjoyed my freedom in the world; and been
permitted to go in and out, whither I would, at
my pleasure. But now that I am under restraint,
and confined to this place, O how much sorer
affliction ought I with patience to endure, for
turning my liberty into licentiousness, and for
wandering (as I have done) from thee, and weary-
ing myself in the ways of wickedness! This
confinement I acknowledge to be but a light
correction indeed, to one who deserves to be shut
up in the eternal prison, from whence there is no
redemption. But for thy dear Son, my blessed
Saviour's sake, I beg, Lord, that this restraint
may be, not in judgment, but in mercy to me:
that it may bring me to timely consideration, and
to a deep repentance for all those sinful liberties

134 UNDER CONFINEMENT AND LOSS OF LIBERTY.

which I have taken, in living after my own fool-
ish and hurtful lusts: let it remove me out of the
way of temptations, and engage me more closely
and dutifully to attend upon thee; that in thy
service I may find a better freedom than that
which I have lost. Let me obtain by means of
it a freer access into thy presence, and power to
tread down the enemies of my soul, whensoever
they rise up against me.

O that now I am sequestered from the world,
I may also be crucified unto it; and may leave it
in affection, as I am shut out from its conversa-
tion. Let me in heart and mind ascend and
dwell above, and have my conversation in heaven,
and enjoy such fellowship with thee my God and
Saviour, as shall be infinitely preferable to all
the society and enjoyments of the world. If the
Son of God shall make me free, I shall be free
indeed. O pity me, tied as I am, and bound
with the chain of my sins. Bring my soul out
of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy name.
Set my feet in a large room, that I may be at
liberty to run the way of thy commandments.
Then, however confined as to my body, even
though I were to lie in a jail or a dungeon. I
should be a prisoner of hope; looking for that
blessed hope, to be delivered from the bondage of
corruption, into the glorious liberty of the chil-
dren of God. I ask this for the sake of him, who
was apprehended and confined, and put to death
for us, and now liveth and reigneth with thy

ON THE DEATH OF NEIGHBOURS. 135

eternal self, and Holy Spirit, over all, God blessed
for evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER UPON THE NEWS OF OTHERS'
DEATH.

OTHOU ever-living and all-disposing God, in
whose hands our breath is, and whose sum-
mons we must all obey! What are we; what is
man, even at his best estate, but altogether
vanity! What man is he that liveth, and shall
not see death? The great and the mean, the
wise and the foolish, the evil and the good, all
yield up the ghost, and go down to the grave.
Thou art pleased, O my God, to spare me, whilst
many of my neighbours and acquaintance are
taken to their long home. Thou leavest me yet
a living monument of thy goodness, long-suffer-
ing, and forbearance. O what am I better than
others, that I should have further opportunities
of working out my salvation, when others have
the things which belong to their peace for ever
hid from their eyes? Why have I not long since
experienced the common lot of all men? Why
have I not been called to give up unto thee an
account of my stewardship? O let me not be as
the brutes that have no understanding, without
mindfulness of my mortality, or consideration of
my latter end: but in the death of others, let me
see, as in a glass, my own frail and uncertain

13(5 ON THE DEATH OF FRIENDS.

state. Let me see that there is but a step be-
tween me and death; and that, however my days
may be prolonged on earth, I must at last go to
the place appointed for all men living. O let me
begin to answer the great end of life; and so live,
as one that surely expects to die. And when my
own turn shall come, may I depart in peace, and
sleep in Jesus ; having my soul safe in thy hands,
and my body resting in hope of gloriously rising
at the last day, through him who is the resurrec-
tion and the life, our blessed Saviour and Re-
deemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER UPON THE DEATH OF OUR
DEAR FRIENDS. •

God, the Lord of all; thou dost
VJT whatsoever thou pleasest in heaven and in
earth ; thou givest, and thou takest away : thou
raisest up and thou castest down: nor can any
stay thy hand, or say unto thee, What doest thou?
But in all that thou doest, thou art wise, and
righteous, and good. Thou art just in depriving
us of those enjoyments which we have unworthily
idolized, or ungratefully abused. Blessed be thy
name, therefore, as well when thou takest away
as when thou givest. Yet, O Lord, in mercy
turn these losses to the advantage of my soul:
and grant me such abundant supplies out of thine
own fulness, that I may find in thee infinitely

ON THE DEATH OF FRIENDS. 137

more than in all earthly friends and comforts.
They were but the instruments and means of
conveyance : thou, who art the eternal spring and
fountain of all good, art still the same; and
amidst all these changes, changest not. O let
me find, though bereft of the creature, I am not
forsaken of my God; and that, though I have
nothing, I am really possessed of all things.

O my heavenly Father, take my eyes off from
such poor dying comforts, to fix them upon the
only satisfying good; in the enjoyment of which
consists all my true life, and peace, and happiness.
And let the frequent disappointments that I find
in all the enjoyments of the world, teach me more
wisdom than to place my affections upon them.
Help me to disengage and loosen my heart from
them: and raise up my desires and hopes to those
glorious objects, which are so infinitely to be
preferred before them. O let me be more cruci-
fied to the world, where is nothing but vanity
and vexation of spirit: and may I have my con-
versation more in heaven; where my blessed
Lord is, and all his happy followers, of whom the
world was not worthy; and where there is every
thm°- that the soul of man can want or wish. O

c

God of the spirits of all flesh, and especially of
the just made perfect, help me so to follow thy
servants, who are departed in the Lord, that I,
with them, may be counted worthy to live in thy
presence, and to spend an eternity in the love
and praises, the fellowship and enjoyment, of

138 ON THE REMEMBRANCE OF SINS.

thee my God, who art blessed for evermore.
Amen.

A PRAYER UPON THE REMEMBRANCE OF
FORMER SINS.

OWHO can understand his errors ? who can
call to mind the innumerable offences of his
past life ? Since the time that I began to act,
what alas ! have I ever done that was free from
sin ? Ands O the heinous offences, the presump-
tuous sins, the great transgressions, whereof I
have been guilty ; which stare me in the face, and
alarm my conscience, and cast down my soul
within me ! When I consider the circumstances
under which I have committed them, that they
have been done against such light and love, such
calls and warnings, such convictions and encou-
ragements as I have experienced from the Lord,
I am covered with confusion, O my God, and
filled with bitter remorse and terrible apprehen-
sions. O if they should rise up in judgment
against me, they could not but utterly sink me
into perdition. But, O Lord my God, help me
so to remember them, that thou mayst blot them
out of the book of thy remembrance ; and so to
humble myself for them, that thou mayst never
lay them to my charge. For thine own mercy's
sake hide thy face from my sins., and blot out all
my iniquities, especially those which have taken
such hold upon me, that I am not able to look

FOR THE CONVINCED SINNER. 139

np. And though thou hast kept me from my
deserved shame in this world, O let not thy in-
dulgence embolden me to repeat my sins; but let
this thy goodness, O my God, work in me a more
deep and serious repentance.

And thou, Lord Almighty, who alone canst
bring good out of evil, be thou pleased to make
my past falls an occasion of my surer standing for
the future. O embitter the pleasures of sin to
me, and hedge up the ways of wickedness (as
with thorns and briers) before me ; that I may
loathe, as much as ever I have loved, my hateful
ways, and never return again to such baseness
and folly. And let the remembrance of all my
former offences not only lead me to repentance,
but stimulate me to more circumspection and
watchfulness in future : that I may not live so
far from thee as I have done; nor trespass against
thee any more; but may pass the time of my so-
journing here in fear : O grant it for the sake of
him whom I have so impiously trodden under
foot, and to whose Spirit I have done so great
despite, even thy Son Jesus Christ, my only
Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

THE CONVINCED SINNER'S PRAYEE.

TTEARKEN to the voice of my cry, my King,
JJL and my God ! for unto thee will I pray.
But wherewithal shall I appear before the Lord,

140 FOR THE CONVINCED SINNER.

and bow myself before the most high God, whose
holy laws I have broken, and whose just displea-
sure I have incurred ! I acknowledge my trans-
gression, O Lord, and my sin is ever before me.
My iniquities are gone over my head, as a sore
burthen, they are too heavy for me to bear.
When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for
his iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume
away like a moth. My sin now has found me
out; and that which once I thought too little to
be repented of, seems now too great to be par-
doned. I nattered myself in my own eyes, till
my iniquity is found to be hateful. I thought I
was rich, and increased with goods, and had need
of nothing: but now I find that I am wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ;
so that there is nothing but disorder and ruin in
my soul. I have undone myself : but to work
my own recovery, I have no sufficiency. O how
wicked have I been to harbour the mind, and
allow myself in the way, which is enmity against
God ! How ignorant, yet how confident ! How
vile, yet how arrogant ! In what need of mercy,
yet how unmerciful ! How sinful, yet how im-
penitent ! How bold in the sins where con-
science reproved me ; but how indifferent in the
cause where thy good Spirit encouraged me !
Oh the spoils, and ruins, and desolations which
my sins have made in my soul ! How darkened
has been my mind ; how perverted my will ; how
sensualized my affections ; how disordered my

FOR THE CONVINCED SINNER. f 141

passions ; how hardened my heart ; and how mad
have I been in cleaving unto things displeasing
to my God, and destructive to my soul !

Vain would he the attempt to hide any thing
from thee, who fillest heaven and earth. What
shall I say unto thee, Lord ? I scarcely know
how to speak any thing bad enough of myself. O
woe is me, that I have done so foolishly and
wickedly ! Whither shall I betake myself, seeing
that against thee, O Lord, I have so sinned, and
done such evil in thy sight ! Thou art the offended
Majesty, out of whose reach I cannot escape; and
whose judgments I can never be able to endure.
A guilty consciousness makes me afraid to come
unto thee: yet I know there is nothing but cer-
tain destruction, if I keep away from thee. And
though there is no peace to the wicked, whilst he
continues in his sins, yet if the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts,
and return to the Lord, thy promise, then, O God,
is to have mercy upon him, and abundantly to
pardon. I have none to look unto for deliverance
from my sins, but unto the just and holy God,
against whom I have so grievously sinned. And
how shall I stand in thy sight, O Lord, who
hatest and condemnest the works of darkness, and
the workers of iniquity ? whose wrath against sin
burns as deep as hell, and as long as eternity.

I submit, great Lord, to thy offended majesty !
and whithersoever I look, I have no hope but in
thine almighty power, thy superabounding grace,

142 FOR THE CONVINCED SINNER.

and thine ever-enduring mercy. Nothing is too
hard for thee to- effect : the most wretched case is
not past thy cure. Though our sins be as scarlet,
thou canst make them as white as snow; though
they be red like crimson, thou canst make them
as wool. Yea, thou hast found a ransom, and
laid help upon One that is mighty, even on thy
dear Son, who is able to save to the uttermost all
that come unto God through him. If I had not
sinned, I had no need of such a Redeemer: but
it was the sinful and the lost whom he came to
seek and save. To the Lord Jesus therefore do
I look, with the desire of my soul, to find healing
through the precious blood of his cross. O mer-
ciful God ! when my sins cry to thee for ven-
geance, be thou pleased to hear his blood and
merits pleading and interceding for my soul; and
speaking better things in my behalf than I am
able to do for myself in all my prayers.

Behold, O merciful Lord, a miserable object on
whom to glorify thy power and mercy ! O look
upon me, in my blood, and bid me live. Speak
death to my sins ; that my soul may live, and for
ever bless thy name. Turn away thy face from
my sins; and blot out all my iniquities. For thy
name's sake, O Lord, pardon my sin, for it is
great: too great for any, but a God of infinite
goodness and mercy, to forgive. O magnify thy-
self in my deliverance. Make it seen, in thy
work upon my soul, how great things, worthy of
God, thou canst do : that where sin hath

FOR THE CONVINCED SINNER. 143

abounded, thy grace can much more abound.
Return, O Lord, deliver my soul ; O save me for
thy mercy's sake. Save me from the guilt and
punishment, from the power and pollution, of all
my sins. And thou, Lord, who knowest how to
deliver, make me some way to escape out of the
perplexities into which my sins have cast me :
that my iniquities may not be my ruin ; but that
they may be taken away and forgiven, and washed
out with the blood of Jesus Christ. Turn thou
me, O Lord God of my salvation, that I may be
turned from my sins, and from this present evil
world, unto thyself. O give me such conviction,
as may end in sound conversion ; and let me ex-
perience in myself that grace of God which bring-
eth salvation. I want thy grace, O Lord ; and I
shall want it to all eternity, if thou be not pleased
to look graciously upon me in my blessed Re-
deemer. Thou wilt not have the less, how much
soever thou bestowest : and thou canst not bestow
thy grace upon any one that more needs it than
myself. O God of all grace, that keepest mercy
for thousands, hast thou not fc blessing for me; a
blessing for my perishing soul? For thy dear
Son, my only Saviour's sake, let me find such
grace in thy sight. O get thee everlasting glory,
in so favouring the most unworthy of thy crea-
tures. And whatever thou withholdest O deny
me not thy saving grace, which, though so pre-
cious a treasure, is not too great or good for the
God of infinite mercy to bestow. Do that work

144 UNDER DREAD OF GOD'S WRATH.

of thy grace thoroughly upon my heart, for which
I may have cause to glorify thy name for ever-
more. Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER THE DREAD OF GOD'S
WRATH AND EVERLASTING DAMNATION.

OLORD, the great and dreadful God,, against
whom I have greatly sinned ! and who for
my sins art justly displeased ! when I consider
the holiness of thy laws, and the strictness of thy
justice ; and when I reflect upon the heinous and
innumerable sins of my heart and life; my flesh
trembles for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy
iudgments. O who may stand in thy sight, when
once thou art angry? Who can bear up for ever
under all the vials of thy wrath, when they shall
be poured out to the uttermost : when thy mercy
shall be clean gone, and thou shalt cast off, and
be favourable no more ? Yet would that be my
woeful portion, if thou, O Lord, shouldst enter
into judgment with me : I could then hope for no
better but to be deprived of all the comforts of
this life, and to be delivered into the bitter pains
of eternal death. But though the just wages of
my sins be death, yet the gift of God is eternal
life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. O for his
dear sake, who has satisfied thy justice, and ap-
peased thy wrath, and suffered and died once,
that we might not suffer and die for ever, even

UNDER DREAD OF GOD'S WRATH. 145

for thy Son's sake, O God and Father, have
mercy upon me, a miserable sinner: from thy
wrath, and from everlasting damnation, good Lord
deliver me. And help me, in the fear of thee,
my God, to flee from the wrath to come ; and to
rid my hands, and my heart, of every cursed
thing, that provokes the eyes of thy glory, and
kindles thine indignation against thy creatures.

O thou blessed Saviour of the world, save me
from my sins, and from all their dismal effects:
and reconcile me to God; and make my peace
through the blood of thy cross. Thou tookest
upon thee our mortal nature, that thou mightst,
through death, destroy him who had the power of
death; and deliver them, who, through. fear of
death, were all their life time subject to bondage.
Have compassion, Lord, I beseech thee, on my
infirmities ; and suffer me not to fall a prey to
my own fears. But be surety for thy servant for
good : undertake for me to discharge that heavy
load of debt which I have contracted ; that, being
justified by faith, I may have peace with God,
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hide not thy
face from me, O my Lord, lest I be like to them
that go down into the pit : but revive my soul
with the sense of thy love, and the hopes of ever-
lasting salvation; that I may give thee thanks
from the ground of my heart; and tell with glad-
ness what thou hast done for my soul ; and keep
myself ever in thy love, looking for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Amen.
10

146 UNDER FEARS AND DOUBTS.

A PRAYER UNDER FEARS AND DOUBTS OF
OUR SPIRITUAL CONDITION.

OLORD my God, I hope thou hast, of thy
rich mercy, changed and renewed me in
some measure, and wrought a good work upon
me, to bring me out of my natural and lost con-
dition, into a state of grace and salvation. But
yet the carnal nature is so predominant, and many
sins are so lively and strong within me, and the
good things of thy Spirit are still in so much
weakness and imperfection, that I have just cause
for fear : yea, the sorrows of my heart are en-
larged, and my soul is disquieted within me.
Alas ! what cause have I to question, whether
my spots are the spots of thy children ; and whe-
ther I have known the grace of God in truth; or
whether I do not deceive myself with vain hopes
and expectations.

Mine eyes are unto thee, O Lord my God.
Leave not my soul destitute. From the ends of
the earth will I cry unto thee : when my heart is
overwhelmed within me, lead me to the rock that
is higher than I. O Lord, rebuke me not in thine
anger, neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure.
Forsake me not, O my God; be not far from me.
Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.
Attend to my cry for I am brought very low :
hear me speedily ; my spirit fails. Save me, O
God, for the waters are come in unto my soul : I

UNDER FEARS AND DOUBTS. 147

sink in the deep mire, where is no standing.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise
thy name.

O show me the true state of my soul; and
make me to know the things that are freely given
me of God. Deliver me, gracious Lord, from all
those evils which provoke thee to hide thy face
from me, and which make me so much a stranger
to peace and comfort. O grant me clear and
satisfactory evidences of my calling and election:
and seal a comfortable assurance of thy blessed
love in Christ Jesus upon my soul. O thou that
didst say to the wind and waves, Be still, and
they obeyed thee, compose my soul which is so
disquieted within me: and bring me to see the
light of thy countenance, and the joy of thy sal-
vation. O thou that art of power to establish us,
be pleased to establish my heart with grace; and
let me be rooted and grounded in the faith, that
I may not stagger through unbelief; but hold the
beginning of my confidence steadfast to the end.
Rejoice the soul of thy servant : for unto thee, O
Lord, do I lift up my soul. And let the joy of
the Lord be my strength; that I may be victori-
ous over my sins, and abound in thy work; and
never be so much pleased with any thing, as with
doing the things which are pleasing to my
through Jesus Christ. Amen*

148 UNDER STRONG TEMPTATIONS.

A PRAYER UNDER STRONG TEMPTATIONS.

HOLY God ! I desire to humble myself here
before thee, for that continual proneness
which is in me to sin against thee. After all the
great things thou hast done for me, alas ! how
ready am I still to destroy myself ! The malicious
tempter is laying snares for me everywhere : and
the world is distracting my attention both with its
cares and pleasures. And O how prone is my
sinful flesh to take part with my enemy against
my own soul! Innumerable evils have compassed
me about; my iniquities have taken hold upon
me, so that I am not able to look up. They are
more than the hairs of my head, therefore my
heart faileth me. O the sin that still dwelleth in
me. that is so nigh to me, that does so easily beset
ine, and is so apt to prevail against me ; drawing
ine away from the path of duty, and leading me
to things destructive to my soul! O wretched
man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Now that the custom of sin-
ning has so increased my sinful inclinations, that
the leopard may as soon change his spots, and the
Ethiopian his skin, as I, who am accustomed to
evil, can (of myself) cease from it ; how shall I
escape, if thou, O my God, do not stretch forth
thine arm for my deliverance ?

But with thee, the almighty God, all things

UNDER STRONG TEMPTATIONS. 149

are possible : yea, thou canst as easily make me
holy, as command me to be so. To thee all the
powers of hell are weakness; nor can anything in
the world resist thy will. O pity thy poor tempted
creature, and give me not up to a reprobate sense,
and to vile affections; nor to such blindness of
mind, and hardness of heart, as will render me
past feeling. Punish not my former sins, by
giving me over to their sway and power ; but let
it be thy gracious pleasure, O Lord, that all my
prevailing iniquities may flee and perish at thy
presence. O speak powerfully to my filthy cor-
ruptions ; say, Hitherto shall ye go, and no fur-
ther. Stop and heal the diseases of my soul, that
they may no more break out, as they have done,
to the dishonour of thy name, the wounding of
my conscience, and the hindering of my own and
others' peace. Yea, so sanctify my nature, O
Lord, and renew me in the spirit of my mind, that
my heart may rise against these baneful evils;
and that I may hate all iniquity, and every false
way. Enable me so to resist the devil, that he
may flee from me. Give me power from on high,
to set me above all my sins : and give me grace
sufficient for me ; that I may not be false in thy
covenant, nor regardless of my own best interests;
but may manfully fight thy battles, and approve
myself thy faithful soldier and servant, to my
life's end. Make me faithful unto death, that
thou mayst give me a crown of life : and take me
in due time from this state of warfare, to reign

150 A PRAYER AFTER A RELAPSE.

with thee in glory for evermore, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER AFTER A RELAPSE INTO SIN.

OMY God! I am filled with confusion: I
know not how to lift up my face unto thee,
from whom I have so foolishly departed; and
against whom I have so greatly sinned. I am
ashamed to confess unto thee, what (alas!) I have
not been afraid to commit against thee. Thou,
Lord, hast made to know better ; but I have held
the truth in unrighteousness, and therefore de-
serve to be beaten with many stripes, seeing that
I have known thy will, but have not done it.
Alas! how oft have I been taught (as with briers
and thorns) what an evil and bitter thing it is to
trespass against the Lord ! And yet I have re-
peatedly committed those very offences of which
I have professed to repent, and of which I know
I must repent. Nor have I only resisted the
clearest light and conviction, but have trampled
on the richest grace and love. Therefore I am
inexcusable, O righteous Lord ! and have nothing
to say in my own defence* No, the guilt which
I have contracted stops my mouth. O into what
a depth am I fallen! and is there any hope now
for one that has so wilfully, so heinously offended?
O my Lord, the pardon and grace which I am
necessitated to ask at thy hands are much greater

A PRAYER AFTER A RELAPSE. 151

than I have any reason to expect ; yet not greater
than thou, the God of all grace, canst give; nor
greater than thou hast promised to bestow upon all
repenting and returning sinners. To all who turn
from their iniquities thou hast declared, that thou
wilt have mercy upon them, and abundantly par-
don; yea, thou hast made a way for their redemp-
tion by the death of thine own beloved Son. ()
then, let that blessed Saviour, whom thou hast
sent into the world, exercise his power and pity
towards me in this my woeful condition ! make
for me some way to escape, that I may not be
thus taken captive by the devil at his will. Gra-
cious God! there is nothing in me but sin and
misery ; but with thee there is mercy : have
mercy, therefore, O Lord, have mercy on me for
thy mercy's sake; spare me, good Lord, and with-
hold thine hand from inflicting upon me the ven-
geance I deserve : for thy own name's sake, par-
don mine iniquity, which is so exceeding great :
absolve me from the guilt of it, deliver me from
its power, and cleanse me from the pollution of
it. I confess with shame that I have gone astray
like a sheep that is lost : but O ! bring me back
to thy fold ; bring me back to the Shepherd and
Bishop of my soul ; and advance thine own glory
in saving the chief of sinners.

O Lord of love, the God of my mercy, speak
peace unto my soul ; and let me no more return
to folly. Give me grace to mortify this my be-
setting sin : I have indeed broken my vows re-

152 UNDER ANY FOUL FALL.

peatedly; yet once more would I determine,
through thy grace, to resist this enemy of my
soul : I will go forth in thy strength : O do thou
confirm my resolutions, and enable me to perform
my vows. Thou compassionate God, that suc-
courest the tempted, lead me not into temptation;
but let thy good Spirit guide me, and thine ever-
lasting arms be underneath me : uphold me that
I may not fall: cause' me to walk more circum-
spectly, and with full purpose of heart to cleave
unto the Lord. O let these my repeated falls
increase my hatred of sin, and my watchfulness
in thy ways : and let me not only now, but at all
times, have the fear of thee before my eyes, and
be continually leaning on the arm of my beloved,
that so I may walk worthy of my high calling,
and be kept by thy power through faith unto sal-
vation. Amen and Amen.

ANOTHER HUMBLING OFFICE UNDER ANY
FOUL FALL.

OJUST and holy God! what shall I say unto
thee, and how shall I show my face before
thee, after I have so highly affronted thy glorious
Majesty, and violated thy righteous commands !

0 that I should have such lamentable occasion
again to confess and bewail the sin, which I have
so often confessed and bewailed. Holy Lord !

1 am ashamed that I have such need to repeat

UNDER ANY FOUL FALL. 153

these confessions ; and afraid lest my sins should
have so provoked thee, that thou wilt hear me no
more. O what mercy, from the Father of mercies,
do I experience, that the judgments, which I have
merited, are not executed upon me ! What pa-
tience, but that of the long-suffering God, would
ever bear with such a wretch, who has continued
to provoke him every day ? Most justly mightst
thou, Lord, refuse to hear me now crying to thee
in the anguish of my soul, since I have so often
refused to hear thee, calling upon me by the mo-
tions of thy Holy Spirit. O the havoc and deso-
lation which sin has made in my soul ! Surely
the many aggravations of my sin do make it be-
yond measure sinful : such frequent falls do ruin
my hopes : so that I am ready to fear, lest thou
shouldst abandon me to my wretched self, and
leave me to be filthy still ; and to lie and perish in
my sins, because I have revolted more and more.
Behold, I am vile in my own eyes ; I abhor
myself, and humble my soul in the dust before
thee, O Lord : I acknowledge my transgressions,
and am sorely afraid of thy judgments. My sins
have taken such hold of me, that my heart fails
me. Yet, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean, and make me whole. I come therefore
once more to implore mercy for my perishing soul.
Thou who hast charged us to forgive an offending
brother seventy times seven, (even as oft as he
repents) wilt not thyself be less merciful to thine
offending creatures, when they seek forgiveness

1 54 UNDEK ANY FOUL FALL.

at thy hands. Though we so often forget our
duty, thou canst never forget to exercise mercy.
A woman may sooner forget the fruit of her
womb, than thou shut up thy compassions from
the penitent and returning prodigal. Let that
mercy, then, O my Lord, that has hitherto so
wonderfully endured me, be yet further exer-
cised towards me,, to the full extent of my neces-
sities.

In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee, for
thou wilt answer me. I believe, Lord, thy power
and thy readiness to relieve those who prostrate
themselves before thee. For that end didst thou,
O blessed Saviour, come into the world : for that
end didst thou shed thy precious blood; even that
thou mightst atone for our sins, and reconcile us
to our offended God. O that I, who have the
greatest need of that atonement, may feel the
benefit of it ; and that where sin has abounded,
thy grace may much more abound ! Look upon
me, O Lord, as thou didst on thine offendino-

7 O

disciple ; to melt my heart into a kindly, relent-
ing, and penitent concern for this great evil.
Make me to look on him whom my sins have
pierced ; that I may mourn, and be in bitterness
for the grievous offences which I have committed
against thee, the Lord of love, and the God of all
my mercies. What is past I cannot recall; but
thou, my Lord and Saviour, canst remit it, and
give me grace to repent of it. O give me such
true repentance for it, that thou mayst blot it out

UNDER ANY FOUL FALL. 155

of the Look of thy remembrance, and be reconciled
to my guilty soul.

And grant, O gracious Lord, that the custom
of sinning may not render me insensible of my
guilt, or ever lead me to commit these great sins
with little remorse. Nor let it so increase my
sinful inclinations, that I should become a slave
of corruption, or be induced to harbour within my
soul its greatest enemies. Be thoiv, O Lord, my
strong tower of defence against them : and en-
able me to go on conquering and to conquer, till,
in the name of the Lord, I have destroyed them.
So often have I fallen by their hands, that I fear
lest one day I should so fall by them as never to
rise again. But thou, my strength and my Re-
deemer, art stronger than the strong one, and able
to secure me from his most violent assaults. O
blessed keeper of Israel ! keep back thy servant
from presumptuous sins : let them not have do-
minion over me: that I may be upright and inno-
cent from the great transgression. Punish not my
past sins by giving me up to commit iniquity with
greediness: but subdue my iniquities that prevp:l
against me ; and pluck me out of the mire and the
snare, for thy mercy's sake. O that the same
mercy, which has hitherto so often spared me,
may now be exercised in the renewal of my soul:
let it so strengthen all the good things of thy
grace within me, that I may be able to do all
things conducive to thine honour, and necessary to
my own salvation. O let me be found faithful

155 FOR TEMPORAL BLESSINGS.

unto death, that thou mayst give me the crown
of life ; not for any worthiness in me, but for the
worthiness of thy dear Son, and for the sake of
thy own tender mercies in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR TEMPORAL BLESSINGS.

OLORD our God, thou knowest that while we
are in this life, we stand in need of con-
tinual supplies for the support and nourishment
of our bodies : and thou hast promised to impart
them unto all who seek first thy kingdom, and
the righteousness thereof. Thou hast also com-
manded us to ask of thee our daily bread; and to
cast our care upon thee, for all that is needful for
us. I pray therefore to thee, my heavenly Father,
for such a portion as thy wisdom sees to be suited
to my condition. While I have a life to be nour-
ished, let me not want the supports and comforts
of it. Give me skill and ability to provide for
myself; and add thy blessing to my endeavours.
Where I cannot supply all my own necessities,
O do thou raise up friends to help me ; that I
may never be destitute of food convenient for me.
And having food and raiment, let me be there-
with content. In prosperity, keep me from for-
getting thee : and in adversity, keep me from
thinking myself forgotten of thee. O keep me
from all unnecessary cares, and unprofitable dis-
quietudes. Teach me how to want, as well as

IN PROSPERITY. 157

Low to abound. Add to' me, O my Father, what
at any time thou knowest me to need ; and bless
to me every thing which thou bestowest : that
my bodily comforts may not be to me an occasion
of falling, but rather an encouragement to my
duty, and an incentive to me to abound in thy
love and praise. And in the want of all other sup-
plies and succours, be thou, O God, my all in all,
in life and death, and for evermore, for Christ's
sake. Amen.

A PRAYER IN PROSPERITY.

T)LESSED God, rich in goodness and mercy:
JD thou art the portion of my inheritance and
of my cup : thou maintainest my lot. The lines
are fallen to me in pleasant places ; and I have a
goodly heritage. I abound and am full of thy
good things ; and am surrounded on every side
with thy mercies. Thou makest my affairs to
succeed in such a manner, that I cannot but be
pleased and satisfied with my condition; and de-
sire with all my soul to acknowledge, and bless,
and praise thee for all thy special favours, wherein
thou hast made me to differ. Glory be to thee,
O Lord, who hast dealt so well with thine un-
worthy servant, and signalized me with such great
and manifold blessings. But when thou hast
made my mountain to stand strong, I must not
say in my prosperity I shall never be moved. I

158 IN PROSPERITY.

know not what shall be on the morrow, nor how
soon the sun may be hid,, that now shines upon
me. O Lord, help me, in the time of my health,
and peace, and prosperity, to remember and pro-
vide for the time of trouble, and sickness, and
death : when the world's enjoyments will shrink
away from me, and prove utterly unable to sup-
port and comfort me. Yea, because the prosperity
of fools destroys them, and the gaining of the
world is the loss cf so many souls, grant, O
heavenly Father, that this world may not oe my
portion ; that I may not abuse the world's good
to thy dishonour and my own undoing ; nor turn
the gifts of thy bounty into weapons of rebellion
against thee. But enable me to use them in thy
fear , and to do thee better service in proportion
to the obligations thou layest upon me. O make
me as willing, as thou hast made me able, to re-
fresh the bowels of my poorer brethren : and to
give to them as freely as I myself have received.
Let not my riches be kept to my hurt; but rather
be laid out to do myself and others the most sub-
stantial good. As I have opportunity, let me do
good to all ; especially to them who are of the
household of faith.

O gracious Lord J take the snare out of my
worldly enjoyments ; and preserve me from the
danger and destruction that so commonly attend
a full and prosperous condition. And rather de-
prive me of all my earthly possessions^ than suffer
them to impede my progress towards thy heavenly

IN PROSPECT OF MARRIAGE. 159

kingdom. O let me not want the affliction which
thou knowest to be needful for my salvation. And
though thou makest me poor, or givest me trouble,
let me be contented, and bless thy name, as well
when thou takest from me, as when thou givest
to me. But whatever I have here to enjoy, O
let me never set my heart upon it : nor trust in
uncertain riches,, but in the ever-living God, who
alone can be a suitable portion for my immortal
soul. O preserve me from pride and forgetful-
ness of God, from love of the world, and from all
other vices and. corruptions incident to a high and
plentiful estate. And let none of my abundance
or success in the world, ever puff me up with a
proud conceit of myself, or a scornful disdain of
others, or a wanton kicking against the Lord. O
let it not turn me from thee : but with the cords
of love do thou draw me nearer to thyself. And
with all my other plenty, let me, O my God, en-
joy the fulness of thy grace, and be rich in faith
and good works. And with all my other suc-
cesses, O that my soul may prosper, and be made
glad with thy saving mercy, and thy favourable
acceptance of me in Jesus Christ. Amen.

LV PRAYER FOR A BLESSING ON OUR I
INTENDED MARRIAGE.

MY God, thy bountiful favours have ex-
k ceedecTall my expectations, as well as my

ICO IN PROSPECT OF MARRIAGE.

deserts : and though I have wretchedly abused
thy kindness and love, yet still thou waitest to be
gracious, and art not weary of showing mercy.
Now thy good providence, 6 Lord, is opening a
way for my future settlement in life : if thou
knowest it to be for my good, O Lord of love,
promote and bring it to pass. But grant that I
may proceed in thy fear ; and that while I %am
seeking to have my own designs accomplished, I
may have a just regard to the glory of thy name;
and desire nothing any further than it shall con-
duce to the eternal welfare of myself, and of thy
servant, on whom my thoughts and affections are
fixed. O give me such a partner of my fortunes,
as may be a blessing to me, for this life and a
better. And make us truly beneficial and com-
fortable to one another in all the best respects,
pertaining to our chiefest good. Grant, Lord^
that we may be helps meet for each other, in
reference to both worlds ; and that our love may
be sincere without guile ; pure without wanton-
ness ; and lasting without decay. O thou that
fashionest all hearts, unite our affections upon
truly Christian principles, that they may not
speedily decline, but remain firm and durable to
the end. Unite both of us to thy blessed self,
as well as to each other : that our marriage may
be in the Lord ; and that it may not separate us
from thee, but bring us nearer to thee. O grant
us new supplies of thy grace, for this new estate
of our lives : that we may fill up the relation into

A PRAYER FOR BLESSING. 161

which we are entering, as becomes thy people.
Let us not only be faithful in keeping the mar-
riage-bed undefiled ; but be mutual Jhiejps and
COJB forts, both in our temporal and spiritual con-
cerns; and ever conspire together, to promote
our mutual edification and comfort. Above all,
let us live to glorify and praise thee our
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PKAYER FOB BLESSING,

DIRECTION. HELP, AND GOOD SUCCES3, IN ANY GREAT
ENTERPRISE.

OLORD God, infinitely wise and good, who
teachest man knowledge, and givest both
the skill and power to accomplish our purposes, I
know not what to do: but mine eyes are upon
thee, and all my expectation is from thee; and I
desire continually to wait, and call, and depend
upon thee. It is a great work which I have now
to do: but O how little strength to do it! All
my sufficiency is of thee, who workest in us to
will and to do of thy good pleasure. Thou that
hast been my help, leave me not, neither forsake
me, O God of my salvation: but let me be
taught of God what I have to do: and let the
gracious Lord make me to understand what is
thy pleasure concerning me. O that my ways
were directed to please thee; that so I might
11

1C2 A PRAYER FOR BLESSING.

have the light of thy countenance ever shining
upon me!

My Lord., and my God! leave me not in the
hand of my own counsel; nor to the conduct of
my own foolish and deceitful heart : but lead me
by the way that I should go, and teach me thy
paths; that discretion may preserve me, and
understanding may keep me. O make my way
prosperous; and give me thy blessing and good
success. Bring all needful things to my remem-
brance: and where I have not the presence of
mind, or the ability to perform thy will, O mag-
nify thy power in my weakness; and let me go
forth in thy strength, and speed and prosper by
thy grace and blessing. Let thy good providence
so be my defence and security, and thy Holy Spirit
my guide and counsellor; that I may wisely
choose, and rightly manage, and successfully
accomplish, the things wherein I am engaged.

Thy will be done, O Lord, however I may be
pleased or crossed: and let me ever design thy
glory, whether it be for gain or loss in respect of
this present life. O be thou still a gracious-
Father to me, and a merciful provider for me:
and grant me now the comfortable sense of thy
gracious acceptance of me, and of thy designs of
mercy towards me. Be thou pleased to take me
me under thy fatherly care and conduct, and
preserve me from the evils into which I am prone
to fall; and quicken me to the good which I am
averse to perform: establish thou the work of my

A PRAYER WHEN GOING ABROAD. 1G3

Lands upon me; yea, the work of my hands
establish thou it. My God and guide, my help
and strength [ if thou lead me not, I shall run
into errors; if thou keep me not, I shall fall into
dangers: but hold thou me up, and I shall be
safe. And let me so experience thy power and
presence with me, that I may manage this and
all my other affairs to thy glory, and that in my
dying reflections upon what has past, my soul
may have peace, and thy name be glorified,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER WHEN GOING ABROAD.

OLORD ! thou art the same God in all places
and nowhere can I go, but thou art there.
Both at home and abroad, on my way, and at the
end, thou art ever with me, by thine universal
presence. O let me also experience the presence
of thy grace, and of thy good Spirit with me;
to conduct and guide me continually, to protect
and save me from all dangers and mischiefs, and
to make my way prosperous, and all my affairs
successful. Let the blessing of the Lord follow
me, and rest upon me : and do thou preserve my
going out, and my coming in; and never leave
me, nor forksake me, O Lord, but be my God
and guide this day, in all this journey, and all
my life long. And make me to feel that my
whole life is but a pilgrimage, and passage through.

1G4 FOR KNOWLEDGE.

this world; in which I am continually hastening
home to the end of all my travels, and to the
place where I must take up my everlasting abode.
O merciful God! make me continually mind-
ful of that progress, and of that journey's end:
and keep me from either wandering from thy
way, or falling into sin of any kind; which would
be the greatest evil that could come upon me.
Take care of me, I beseech thee, and lead me,
and keep me : and after all my journeyings here,
O bring me safe at last to thy holy hill, and to
thy heavenly rest; even to that blessed end of
my faith, the everlasting salvation of my soul. I
humbly ask this through the greatness of thy
mercy to me in thy dear Son, my gracious Lord
and only Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION AND
KNOWLEDGE.

OLORD, thou eternal, uncreated light, thou
hast not left thyself without witness amongst
us; but in thy word and works before us, and in
our souls and consciences within us, and in all
thy creatures on every side of us, thou hast
left traces of thy power, wisdom, and goodness.
That I have, therefore, no better knowledge of
thee, and of the things belonging to my peace, is
my shame : it is owing to my sinful dulness and
negligence in that which most nearly and eternally

FOR KNOWLEDGE. 165

concerns me. Ah, Lord! I have not improved
in knowledge answerable to the light which thou

c5 o

hast caused to shine upon me; nor according to
the means of instruction wherewith thou hast
blessed me. But I have need to be taught my-
self the things whereof I might have been a
teacher of others. For this I desire, Lord, to
humble myself before thee_, and to implore thy
pardon: and I now come to ask wisdom at thy
hands, knowing that thou givest to all men liber-
ally, and upbraidest not.

I cannot see or know thee, O Lord, but by
the beams of thine own light, which thou art
pleased to impart. O wilt thou vouchsafe yet
further and more fully to manifest thyself to my
soul? Teach me to know aright Thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
O blessed Sun of Righteousness, arise upon me
with healing in thy wings, to scatter all the
clouds of folly and ignorance, and error and pre-
judice, that overspread my soul. Open mine
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law. And open my understanding, that I
may understand the scriptures; and not remain
in darkness concerning anything that is needful
for me to know, in order to my present peace and
duty, and to my eternal safety and felicity. And
whereinsoever I, or any whom I am concerned
with, are otherwise minded than we ought to be,
O God, reveal the same to us: and let us all be
taught of thee, to know thee,, from the greatest

166 FOR KNOWLEDGE.

to the least; and not be unwise, but understand*
ing what the will of the Lord is.

That the soul be without knowledge is not
good: O incline our ears to wisdom, and our
hearts to understanding; that we may follow on
to know the Lord, and increase in the knowledge
of God. Shew us thy ways, O Lord, and lead
us in thy truth. And whatever else we are
ignorant of, let it be given unto us to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of God. O Lord, our
light ! give us understanding in the way of god-
liness: give us a spiritual discernment of the
things of thy Spirit: and make us wise unto sal-
vation. Give us the spirit of wisdom and reve-
lation in the knowledge of thee, the eyes of our
understanding being enlightened, that we may
know what is the hope of thy calling, and what
the riches of the glory of thine inheritance in the
saints, and what is the mighty power of thy
Spirit, which works in them that believe.

O put thy law in our inward parts, and write
it in our hearts: that the scriptures may not be
to us a book sealed, or a gospel hid; but a lamp
to our feet, and a light to our paths. O that our
ways were directed to keep thy statutes ! Help
us, O good Lord, so to do thy will, that we may
know the scriptures to be of God, and may have
the witness in ourselves; and may perceive the
divinity of thy word, by the power and efficacy
of it upon our lives. And though now we see
but darkly as in a glass, and know but in part;

A PRAYER FOR FAITH. 167

and cannot by searching find out the Almighty
to perfection; yet help us still more and better
to know our God, so as we can know, till here-
after we shall know as we are known,, and see face
to face, in that blessed presence of thine^ where
is fulness of joy for evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR FAITH AND TRUST
IN GOD.

WITHOUT faith, it is impossible to please
thee, O God: and therefore I come to beg
of thee that faith which is thy gift. Lord, help
my unbelief; and increase my faith. Whatever
thou hast revealed, let me take it upon the credit
of thy word: air where I have thy promise, let
me not stagger through unbelief, but fully per-
suade myself that it shall be as thou hast said.
O bless and enrich my soul with such a holy,
lively, and unfeigned faith, as may enlighten my
mind, and purify my heart, and influence my
whole life; such a faith, as may enable me to
receive Jesus Christ for my Saviour, and heartily
to give up myself to him as my Lord: that, being
ruled and sanctified by him in this life, I may be
for ever saved and glorified by him in the life
that is to come. O help me so to assent unto
the truths, that I may also consent to the terms,
of the gospel. And give me that effectual faith
which shall work by love; that faith which shall

168 TO LIVE BY FAITH UPON CHRIST,

enable me to overcome the world, and to fix my
attention on those great and glorious things which
are unseen and eternal.

In my greatest darkness and distress,, O let me
trust in the name of the Lord, and stay myself
upon my God; committing my ways unto thee,
and casting my burthen upon thee, and putting
my trust in thee, though thou slay me. Let me
trust in thine almighty power to help and save;
in thy tender inclinations to pity and relieve; and
in the sure promises which thy love hath made
(and which thy faithfulness will certainly make
good) unto all that wait and call upon thee. And
though I am not presently answered in the wishes
of my heart, O let me tarry and wait patiently
for the salvation of the Lord; and have my eyes
upon the Lord my God, till thou have mercy
upon me. Yea, make so sound and strong in the
faith, that my faith may never fail: but that it
may be found to praise and honour and glory in
every time of trial; and at the great appearing o±
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR POWER TO LIVE BY FAITH

UPON CHRIST, AND THE DIVINE PROMISES.

IT is thy command, O my Lord and Saviour,
that they who believe in God should believe
also in thee, as their only Mediator with the
Father : even in thee, who countest it no robbery

AND THE PROMISES OF GOD. 1G9

to be equal with God ; yea, who thyself art over
all, God blessed for ever. Thou hast told us,
that it is life eternal to know thee ; and that, as
none can come unto the Father but by thee, so
none shall perish who believe in thee. O the
riches of thy grace, and the wonders of thy mercy,
that it should so be done to poor sinners ! Blessed
for ever be thy glorious name! and blessed be the
God of all grace, who, of his abundant mercy, has
provided such a remedy for us in our lost estate ;
to save us through faith in him, when we could
not be saved by any merits or performances of
our own.

Great and holy Lord ! in all that ever I do, I
cannot but see my extreme need of a Saviour;
and that I am undone without thy free grace in
Christ Jesus. And therefore I desire to go to
him, and to be found in him ; not having my own
righteousness, but that which is through the faith
of him : and to sit down under the shadow of that
tree of life, which yields the richest fruits, most
sweet to all who have ever tasted of his grace.
O that Christ, who is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth, may be
the Lord MY righteousness ! that his righteous-
ness may be imputed to me ! and that with the
heart I may believe unto righteousness : even so
believe in Jesus Christ, that I may be justified
by faith, and have peace with God through him !

The blessed Jesus is my life and strength, my
wisdom and riches, my health and joy, my glory

170 TO LIVE BY FAITH UPON CHRIST,

and my all : there is no healing for my soul, but
in his precious blood: no peace for my conscience
but in his reconciling m? to God : no satisfaction
to my. mind, but in that most perfect atonement,
which satisfies even the strictest justice of heaven.

0 none but Christ ! none but Christ ! Without
this all-sufficient Redeemer, I am a lost creature.

1 beseech thee, therefore, O Lord, (whatever else
I want) leave me not destitute of him : but give me
an interest in Christ, or I die eternally. Though
I have so long slighted all his love, and neglected
his great salvation, yet, O my Father, I dare not
add this to all my other offences, to despair of
that mercy, which, in him, thou art pleased to
hold forth even to the most sinful and unworthy.
Seeing that thou art, in Christ Jesus, a God re-
conciling the world unto thyself, and hast given
him to be the propitiation for our sins ; and that
he came to seek and to save even the lost, and
to call sinners to repentance; and that he invites
to him the labouring and heavy laden ; yea, bids
all that are athirst, to come and take the water
of life freely ; and that he promises, that such as
come to him he will in no wise cast out ; to him
therefore will I look, and in him will I trust ;
and of thee, my gracious Father, I beg for help
to do it as I ought. O be thou pleased to shine
into my heart with thy heavenly light, to reveal
thy Son in me, and to show me his all-sufficiency
for my wants, yea, to show me also my own happy
interest in him. Dear Lord ! give me thy Son

AND THE PROMISES OF GOD. 171

to save me ; and give me thy Spirit to draw me
to him ; and enable me to take hold of him,, to
rely upon him, and to believe in him, to the sav-
ing of my soul. O make me more acquainted
with the way of saving sinners by Jesus Christ ;
and help me humbly to acquiesce in it, and thank-
fully submit to the righteousness of God.

Seeing thou, O God of all grace, justifiest sin-
ners freely by thy grace, not for any merit of
their works, but for the worthiness of thy Son,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

0 may it be given unto me to believe on him,
and to repose all my trust in him; that, believing,

1 may have life through his name. And may I
be still fully persuaded in my mind, that he is
the true Messiah, the only Saviour of the world.
Let me never distrust his power, or his love :
never be faithless, but at all times believing and
confident, that he is my Lord and my God, who
loved me, and washed me from my sins in his
own blood. And let the God of hope fill me with
all joy and peace in believing, whilst I lie at the
feet of Jesus, and cast my burthen upon the
Lord, and lean on the beloved of my soul. Though
there is nothing in me but pollution arid disorder,
O let me not keep aloof from my Saviour ; but
come to him at his call, and believe in his name,
that through him I may be made clean and whole.
None can more need his help, O Lord, than I do.
O that it may not pass by me : but let the Saviour
of the world be the Saviour of my soul ; and let

172 TO LIVE BY FAITH UPON CHRIST,

Christ abide with my Spirit, and be ever at hand,
to do me good. O that my Redeemer may look
with an eye of favour upon me, and revive me
with some tokens of his love, which is better
than all the enjoyments and comforts of the
world.

Help me, O thou great Author and Finisher
of our faith, to pray in faith ; believing that I
shall receive the things which I ask in thy name.
O my Lord and my God ! make me to know and
believe the love thou hast to me ; yea, that thou
hast loved me with an everlasting love. Make
me to know whom I have believed ; and, that
Jesus Christ is my Strength and my Redeemer.
And let this sweet assured hope comfort me under
all troubles, fortify me against all temptations,
and quicken me to the performance of all my
duties. O that Christ may dwell in my heart by
faith ; and that the life which I now live, may be
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me : and, though I now see
him not, yet believing, let me rejoice in him with
joy unspeakable and glorified.

It is thy gracious promise, Lord, to blot out
thy people's transgressions, for thine own sake,
and neither to remember their sins, nor to let sin
have dominion over them. Thou hast promised
to have mercy upon the wicked and unrighteous,
and abundantly to pardon them, if only they for-
sake their wicked ways, and their unrighteous
thoughts. Thou hast assured them, that thou

A-N7D THE PROMISES OF GOD. 173

wilt take away from them the heart of stone, and
give them a heart of flesh; that thou wilt put thy
Spirit within them, and cause them to walk in
thy statutes, and to keep thy judgments, and do
them ; and that, when they unreservedly give up
themselves to thee, thou wilt perform in them
the good work of thy grace. Thou hast promised,
that though they fall, thou wilt uphold them with
thy hand, and so put thy fear in their hearts, that
they shall not finally depart from thee. Thou
hast assured them, that thou wilt preserve them
to thy heavenly kingdom, and give unto them
eternal life. O what exceeding great and precious
promises I what cordials to fainting souls ! for,
great as they are, and almost beyond belief, they
shall all be fulfilled in their season. Faithful is
he that has promised, who also will do it. It is
ratified in heaven : and not one jot or tittle of thy
word, Lord, shall pass away, till all be fulfilled.
O let me believe that I, even I, shall see it.
What time I am afraid, let me trust in thee ;
and let me give glory to my God, in believing
thy gracious promises, though I know how un-
worthy I am to have any part or lot in them. Let
me lay up thy kind words of promise, O my Father,
as the richest treasure, and confide in them as the
surest tenure : counting nothing so firm, as what
God hath said; and despising all the wealth, and
honours, and pleasures of the world, in compari-
son of Thyself, and thy Son, and thy Spirit, and
thy love, and thy grace and thy glory; all which

174 A PRAYER FOR REPENTANCE.

I earnestly beg of thy bountiful hands, for Jesus
Christ his sake. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR REPENTANCE.

OMOST holy Lord God, against whom I have
greatly sinned, and who for my sins art
most justly displeased ! thou hast revealed thy
wrath from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men ; and hast declared, that
except we repent, we shall all perish. Thou wilt
not save any without repentance; though, upon
our repentance, thou hast assured us of thy
gracious pardon and acceptance. When we re-
turn unto thee, and humble ourselves before thee,
thou wilt show us thy mercy, and grant us thy
salvation. O gracious Lord ! great indeed is thy
mercy, to vouchsafe unto us this remedy. But
O how averse am I to repent ! yea, how unable
am I to perform this necessary work 1 Thou
searcher of hearts, thou seest that my heart is
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin : I
cannot, I cannot humble myself aright: my heart
must for ever remain obdurate, if thou do not
soften it by thy grace : I can no more turn to thee
with all my heart, than I can turn the course of
a river back to its fountain : unless thou draw
me, I can never run after thee ; if thou endue
me not with power from on high, I must continue
for ever a miserable captive to sin and Satan.

A PKAYER FOR REPENTANCE. 175

O thou that didst cause water to gush out of
the stony rock, break and melt my rocky heart :
thou that fashionest all the hearts of the sons of
men, take away from me the heart of stone, and
give me a heart of flesh: teach me to look on him
whom my sins have pierced, and mourn : cause
me to be in bitterness for all the offences that I
have committed against thee, the Lord of love,
and the God of all my mercies. O give me true
repentance for them ; such repentance as thy holy
word requires, and such as thy gracious goodness
in Christ Jesus will mercifully accept . give me
that repentance unto life, which is never to be
repented of. Thou knowest, Lord, I desire to
have that brokenness of heart, and that deep con-
trition, which thou wilt not despise: O that thou
wouldst vouchsafe it to me ! O that I might so
repent, and be converted, that my sins might be
blotted out, and that a season of refreshing might
come to me from thy presence ! Turn thou me,
O good Lord, and so shall I be turned ; renew
me in the spirit of my mind, that I may bring
forth fruits meet for repentance : not only con-
fessing and bewailing my sins, but also hating
and forsaking them, yea loathing and abhorring
them from my inmost soul. I cannot recall my
sins, O Lord, thou knowest : but, O that I might
never repeat them more ! O that I might have
such a sense of thy loving-kindness, as should
effectually divorce me from all my former ways !
Let me henceforth walk with all possible care and

176 TOR HUMILITY.

circumspection, and make it the great business
of my life to keep myself in thy fear and love.
Let the past time suffice to have wrought my
own will : henceforth let me have grace determi-
nately to forsake all evil ways and evil thoughts;
that so thou mayst have mercy upon me, and
abundantly pardon all my multiplied transgres-
sions. Hear me, O Cod, and answer me, through
the infinite richness of thy grace and goodness in
Christ Jesus my only Saviour. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR HUMILITY.

OMOST high God, infinitely glorious abovo
all our expressions, or our thoughts! Thou
sittest on the circle of the earth, and the inhabi-
tants thereof are as grasshoppers : yea, before
thee, all nations are as nothing, and counted to
thee less than nothing and vanity. O what is
man, that thou shouldst be so mindful of him !
yea, that he should be so unmindful of himself,
as to overlook all his own vileness and sinfulness,
and to swell with the conceit of his own worth
and excellence ! I desire, O Lord, to humble
myself for the pride of my heart, and to confess
with shame, that I have thought more highly of
myself than I ought to think; and vain -gloriously
set off my self before men, when I deserved nothing
but shame and confusion. O thou that resisteth
the proud, and givest grace to the humble, give

FOR HUMILITY. 177

me the grace of humility : and make me vile in
my own eyes, that I may be accepted in thy sight.
Make me, Lord, of the number of those poor in
spirit, those humble and contrite ones, to whom
thou wilt look, and with whom thou wilt dwell.

O set my sins in order before me, and make
me to know my transgressions ; that I may not
flatter myself in my own eyes, but look upon
myself as sinful dust and ashes ; deserving only
to be trodden under foot, and to be cast out as
the off-scouring of all things. Let me never take
anything but shame to myself; but at all times
give thee the glory of whatever is good in me.
Great and holy God ! make me more studious to
be thy favourite, than to be so accounted : and
better pleased to do my duty, than to hear that
I have done it. Neither let me seek glory of
men, but the honour that cometh of God only.
And the more I have received from thee, the
more let me ascribe unto thee: and not be proudly
opinionated of myself; but give all thanks and
glory to thee for any good, wherein thou hast
made me to differ. Let me not desire the praise
of men, whilst I am doing the work of God ; but
let me perform all my offices, as one that would
approve himself to thee, the heart-searching God.

O discover me so to myself, that I may still
walk humbly with my God, and be clothed with
humility; considering how frail I am, as a crea-
ture, and how vile, as a sinner. Let me ever hate
and resist the pride that goeth before destruction;
12

178 FOR TENDERNESS OF HEART.

and so humble myself under thy mighty hand,
that thou mayst exalt me in due time. And for
all the good that ever I have performed or en-
joyed, not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but to
thy name, be all the praise and glory, humbly
and heartily acknowledged and rendered, both
now and evermore. Amen.

A PEAYEE FOE TENDERNESS OF HEAET.

A LMIGHTY Lord, the God of all grace, who
J\. speakest to the heart, and it obeys thee ;
and, when it is grown callous and hard, canst
make it soft and relenting ; and give sight and
sense even to such as are blind and past feeling !
O show the power of thy heavenly grace, in work-
ing upon this stupid, insensible heart of mine ;
that I may know the evil of my sins, and the
things belonging to my peace. And be thou
pleased to give me such a sight of my sins, such
humiliation of soul, and brokenness of heart, as
may prepare me for all the promised mercies of
my God in Christ Jesus. O Father of mercies !
punish not my past sins, by leaving me to commit
sin with greediness; nor ever give me up to such
blindness of mind, and hardness of heart, as shall
render me senseless and incorrigible. But quicken
and awaken my dull soul into a lively sense of
sin, and tenderness of conscience, and due appre-
hension of my great, eternal concerns. O make

FOR TENDERNESS OF HEART. 179

me ever jealous over my heart, and watchful over
my ways; continually fearing to offend, and en-
deavouring to please my God : enable me to keep
my heart with all diligence, that it be not har-
dened through the deceitfulness of sin : and to
stand at a distance from every evil and accursed
thing, that is provoking in thy sight, and destruc-
tive to my soul.

O let me not continue in sin, that grace may
abound; nor abuse that mercy which has so long
borne with me, and been so abundantly good to
me : but give me, O my God, such an abundant
increase of spiritual life, as may produce in me a
greater quickness of spiritual sense, and make my
conscience quick of feeling, even as the apple of
my eye ; that I may so feel my sins here, as to
prevent my feeling them for ever, when there
shall be no remedy. From hardness of heart, and
contempt of thy word and commandments, good
Lord deliver me. Give me a heart so soft and
tender as to smite and correct me for every, even
the least evil. Impress it with such a fear of
offending thee, that it may keep me back, not
only from gross and scandalous offences, but from
all that is suspicious, or that has a tendency to
sin ; even from the occasions of falling, and from
the very appearance of evil. O let me so observe
thee with a child-like tenderness, and awful re-
gard, all the days of my life; that I may not
slavishly dread thee now, or be consumed with
thy terrors in the day of thy wrath : but may

180 FOR THE FEAR OF GOD.

then receive the blessed portion of thy children,
who looked for and hasted to the coming of the
day of Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE FEAR OF GOD.

OLORD, the great and dreadful God! in
whose hands is my time, and at whose mercy
is my soul, and all that concerns me both here
and for ever; thou, even thou, art to be feared ;
and who may stand in thy sight, when once thou
art angry ? The fear of the Lord is the begin-
ning of wisdom; and happy is the man that fear-
eth always ; but to harden our hearts against thy
fear, is not only folly and impiety, but madness
and ruin. I am afraid, O Lord, because I have
feared thee no more : I am afraid, because I have
thought so lightly of thee, who couldst, if it had
pleased thee, have avenged thee of thine adver-
sary, and cast me, at any moment, into the depths
of hell. I am afraid, because I have been so fear-
less in the ways of sin, where I should not have
dared to venture ; and so timorous in the cause
of God, where I should not have feared the face
of any man. O absolve me, I beseech thee, good
Lord, from all this guilt, that lies upon me : and
put thy fear into my heart, that I may never ex-
perience what a fearful thing it is to fall into thy
hands. O stir up my heart to fear thy name !
and let thy fear be ever before my eyes to restrain

FOR THE FEAR OF GOD. 181

me from the evil of my ways. Let me so stand

in awe of thee, that I may not dare to provoke

thee. Let me not be so much afraid of a man

that shall die, as of the almighty, ever-living

God; nor so fear any loss or suffering, (which

can almost be only temporal,) as I fear the sin

and wickedness, that would deprive me of the

good everlasting. O let me fear the Lord, and

depart from evil : let me have my God in such

regard, that I may not wilfully violate thy holy

laws: let me ever be afraid to dishonour thy

name, or to rebel against thy word, or to rest

short of what thou requirest at my hands. And

O that thy fear may not only keep under some of

my sins, but regulate my whole life, and sway

my very heart: that I may do thy will entirely

from the heart, and go on to perfect holiness in

the fear of God.

May I fear thy name, and not dishonour it ;
fear thy wrath, and not provoke it; fear thy
word, and not despise it ; fear thy goodness, and
not abuse it ; fear thy omniscience, and not make
bold with secret sins; fear thy omnipotence, and
not strive with my Maker in any case. And
give me, O my God, the right mixture of fear and
faith ; that I may not incline either to presump-
tion or despair ; that, in the event of crosses or
evils coming upon me, I may not sink down into
such consternations as shall unfit me for my duty :
arid that no successes, or prospects of this world's
good, may harden my heart, or lift me up into

182 FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

wantonness and stubbornness against thee : but
that I may keep up an awful regard of thy glo-
rious Majesty, and a dutiful respect to all thy
holy commands, to the latest hour of my life.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

OTHOU infinite goodness and love, who art
most sweet and amiable in thyself; and
most attractive on account of thy glorious excel-
lences and perfections; and also for all the won-
ders of thy mercy and bounty ! What rich mercy
is it, that thou hast made us capable of loving
thee ; (beyond which the highest angels know no
greater bliss:) yea, that thou hast not only given
us capacities for it, but the greatest obligations,
to engage our hearts to it ! Yet after all the
reasons and motives which we have to love our
God, O how poor and defective has been my love !
Yea, in what strangeness and enmity to thee, O
Lord, have I lived ! It is my sin and shame and
misery, to be so listless and backward to thy love.
O my God, I have done foolishly and wickedly,
in forsaking the fountain of living waters, to hew
to myself broken cisterns, that can hold no water :
shutting my heart against the love of my chiefest
good; and preferring any trifles and vanities of
this present time, yea, and the satisfaction of my
own foolish and hurtful lusts, above thee and thy
love, which is better than life.

FOR THE LO\TE OF GOD. 1C3

O gracious God ! be thou pleased to pardon all
the defects of my love to thee, and all the excesses
of my love to earthly things : and turn my incli-
nations and affections from all vain objects, to thy
blessed self, who art most worthy of all my love :
and (to conquer all my prejudice, and for ever
win my heart) O show thyself to me as a pardon-
ing God, full of compassion, ready to forgive, and
willing to save. Yea, make me to know-so much
of the love wherewith thou hast loved me, that I
may make better returns of love to the gracious
giver of all my good. Touch my heart with such
a powerful sense of thy loveliness and thy loving-
kindness, that I may experience stronger desires
and inclinations after thee, and greater compla-
cence and delight in thee; and may love all other
things, in comparison of my best and dearest
Lord, as if I loved them not.

The Lord direct my heart into the love of God:
and shed abroad, and increase, thy love in my
heart : that I may love the Lord my God with
all my heart and soul, and mind and strength.
O show me the vanity of all those tempting
things, which would draw away my love from
thyself: and so discover thyself to my soul, that
my heart may be unalterably fixed on thee: yea,
make this heart of mine, which has been so cold
and insensible to thy love, to feel henceforth its
mighty warmth and power; that, from complain-
ing of the want, I may come to rejoice in the
abundance of it, O my life, my hope, and joy,

184 FOR THE LOVE OP GOD.

that hast so much and eternally obliged me ! give
me the grace and the power to love thee; let
me be ever longing to appear before thee, and
delighting in the duties that bring me nigh to
thee, and that help me to communion with thee.
Increase my love to thy word, and to all the
things of thy Spirit and grace. And let me take
more satisfaction and pleasure in the light of thy
countenance, than in any increase of corn and
wine, and all the most desired enjoyments of this
life. O let me not rest in the gifts, forgetting
the bountiful giver of every good thing: but draw
me, and join my heart, dear Lord, still nearer to
thyself, with the cords of love. And together
with all my enjoyments in the world, O let me
enjoy still more of thee, my God; in the enjoy-
ment of whom consists all my true life, and peace,
and happiness, here and for ever. Engage to
thyself, O my Lord, the chief and choicest affec-
tions of my heart; and take it the willing captive
of thy love. And help me at all times to mani-
fest my love to thee, by hating evil, and keeping
thy commands, and delighting to do thy will, O
my God. Let the desire of my soul, the care of
my heart, and the endeavour of my life, be to
1 bserve and please thee. And so secure my heart,
Lord, to thyself, that I may not go a whoring from
thee; but may be rooted and grounded in thy love,
and through thy good help and grace, may keep
myself in the love of God; looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR HOPE.

A PRAYER FOR HOPE.

OLORD God of hope, the blessed Founder
of all our great and glorious expectations!
thou hast promised thy people such bliss and glory,
as is not only above our deserts to enjoy,, but above
all our very thoughts to conceive. Yet inconceiv-
able as it is, it is not too great for thine almighty
hand, and thy boundless love to give. And, be-
cause thou hast made such preparations for thy
people, answerable to thine own infinite greatnes's
and goodness, thou art not ashamed to be called
their God. None has seen, nor can tell or think,
the things which thou, O God, hast laid up for
them that love thee. But it is good to hope,
and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Even in dark days, and perilous times, when
thou makest us to know adversity, and threaten-
est us with still increasing judgments, yet is it
our duty patiently to wait for thee, till thou re-
turn unto us in mercy, and cause the light of thy
countenance to shine upon us.

O my God! give me such hope as may lift up
my head, and strengthen my heart, and embolden
my spirit, against all temptations and discourage-
ments of the present time: that I may never yield
to any consternations, so as to destroy my faith
arid hope, or unfit me for thy work and service.
O give me for a helmet, the hope of salvation;
that hope which may be as an anchor to my soul,

186 A PRAYER FOR HOPE.

both sure and steadfast. O let me hope, and
praise thee more and more, and rejoice in the
hope that maketh not ashamed; yea, and hold
fast the rejoicing of my hope firm unto the end.
Though I am sinful and unworthy, yet let me
hope in the Lord, with whom there is mercy and
plenteous redemption, to redeem his people from
all their iniquities. O gracious God, infinitely
good! I could have no hope but in thy tender
mercies, and in thine exceeding great and precious
promises, which gave assurance of pardon and
acceptance to all that humbly seek thee, through
the mediation of thy Son, Jesus Christ. But I
beseech thee, O Lord, remember thy word unto
thy servant, on which thou hast caused me to
hope. O seal me with that Holy Spirit of pro-
mise, which is the earnest of our inheritance;
that I may abound in hope, through the power of
the Holy Ghost. Let Christ in me be my hope
of glory : and having this hope in me, help me to
purify myself, as my Lord is pure : that my hopes
may be rational and well-founded; and that I
may be counted worthy to enjoy thee in thy king-
dom and glory, through the name and merits of
Jesus Christ, my only Mediator and Redeemer.
Amen.

A. PRAYER FOR CHARITY. 187

A PRAYER FOR CHARITY.

OMOST gracious and merciful Lord our God,
who art goodness and love itself, thou hast
commanded that he who loveth thee, should love
his brother also; yea, that we should love our
neighbour as ourselves. Father of mercies, for-
give me all my sins of uncharitableness: and give
me a heart to abound with loving-kindness to all
who are partakers of my nature, and objects of
thy fatherly compassion. Let me not despise
any for their low estate; nor hate any for their
abusive carriage ; nor cast off any as reprobate for
their scandalous wickedness; but be kindly affec-
tioned to all; desirous of their holiness and happi-
ness, and contributing what lieth in me to promote
it: showing the mercy, which thou knowest I
need; and forgiving others, as I myself desire to
be forgiven. Make me ready to distribute, and
willing to communicate : and, as I should be glad
to find favour, and to receive a supply of my own
wants, give me, O gracious God., a large heart,
and (according to my ability) an open hand:
that I may give cheerfully, and sow plentifully,
while I have time; doing good unto all men,
especially to them that are of the household of,
faith : yea, loving the opportunities of such well-
doing; and blessing thy name, for disposing me
to seek refreshment to my own bowels in glad-
dening the hearts of thy poor.

188 A PRAYER FOR CHASTITY.

And O that we may all approve ourselves the
disciples of our Lord, by the love we have one to
another ; and show that we are passed from death
to life, because we love the brethren. May we
ever esteem them above all ; and regard those as
dearest unto us, who most distinguish themselves
in performing thy blessed will. O let our love
be without dissimulation ; not only in word and
in tongue, but in deed and in truth. May we
love one another with a pure heart fervently:
may we seek the good of all, however undeserving
they may be in themselves, or however hostile to
us : and let our delight be in the saints, and in
the righteous, that are more excellent than their
neighbours. Make us to love them for thy holy
image appearing in them ; and to set our hearts
upon them, because thou art with them, and hast
a favour unto them, and hast loved them with an
everlasting love. O Lord of love, keep me from
censoriousness, and rash judging of any : that I
may think and hope the best of all, which their
case will admit ; and love every one for his sake,
who has showed the greatest love to us all, even
our dearest Lord, and only Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

A PKAYER FOR CHASTITY.

OGOD of infinite purity : thou hast called us
not to uncleanness, but to holiness. Thou
hast commanded us to be holy, as thou art holy ;

A PKAYER FOR CHASTITY. 189

and hast promised to none but the pure in heart,
that they shall see thee here in the beauties of
holiness, and partake of thy joys above. O how
shall I, a polluted wretch, show myself before
thee, who art perfect purity ; and in whose sight
even heaven itself is not clean ! O most gracious
Lord ! look not upon me, as I am in myself; for
through my sins I have made myself so vile, that,
unless thou hide thy face from my sins, thou
canst not but abhor my soul, and pour out all
thy wrath upon me. In thy tender mercy, wash
me thoroughly from my iniquity : cleanse me
from all my sin and guilt, in that fountain opened
for sin and uncleanness, even in the precious blood
of the Lamb of God, who was slain to take away
the sins of the world. Lord, if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean : O create in me a clean
heart ; and say to my defiled soul, as thou didst
to the leper, " I will, be thou clean." O my
God ! cast the unclean spirit out of thy temple :
and if he will not go out, but by prayer and fast-
ing, let me add such abstinence to my prayers as
may help to mortify the fleshly lusts that war
against my soul. And by any means, help me,
O my Strength and my Redeemer, to possess my
vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the
lusts of concupiscence, as those that know not
God. Holy Lord! chase away the birds of prey,
that would devour thy sacrifice ; and drive out
these unclean beasts, that would trample down
the plantation of thy grace in my soul. O let me

190 A PRAYER FOR MEEKNESS

not live after the flesh, lest I die eternally : but
enable me by thy Spirit to mortify the deeds of
the body, that I may live for ever. Instead of
doing the works of the flesh, let me hate the very
garment spotted with it ; and not, without utter
detestation, so much as name the things which
are practised by many without remorse. Help
me, my God, to avoid every occasion of falling ;
and to abstain from all appearance of evil : help
me so to delight in purity, and to keep myself
from my iniquity, that I may walk as becomes a
child of my heavenly Father; not grieving thy
Holy Spirit, but doing the things which are pleas-
ing in thy sight, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR MEEKNESS AND
PEACEABLENESS.

0 ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order
the unruly wills and affections of sinful
men ! wilt thou be pleased to subdue my exorbi-
tant passions, and suppress in me that pride from
whence cometh contention ; and root out every
thought that is inconsistent with gentleness and
meekness of spirit. O help me to put away all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,
and evil speaking, with all malice. And however
I am tempted and provoked, O that I may possess
my soul in patience; and not be overcome of evil,
but overcome evil with good. And enable us, O

AND PEACEABLENESS. 101

God of patience, to bear one another's burdens,
and to forbear one another in love : that we may
not contend, but for the faith of Christ; nor
strive, but to enter in at the strait gate; nor
provoke one another, but unto love and to good
works.

If thou, the great God, shouldst enter into
judgment with me, and break out in fury upon
me, as I have been ready to take fire at affronts,
and to fall with rage upon my antagonists, how
soon should I be consumed, and sink under the
load of my numerous transgressions ! O may I
ever dread to be rigid towards others, knowing
how much I myself stand in need of mercy ! And
do thou, the God of peace and love, forgive me,
I beseech thee, all the sins that ever I have com-
mitted against peace and love. O let the peace
of God rule in my heart; and thy wonderful long-
suffering towards me be ever an engagement to
show all meekness to all men ! Let me bear the
ignorance and wickedness, the follies and mis-
takes, the wrongs and indignities of my fellow-
creatures, seeing that I myself am undone with-
out the forbearance of God ; and have nothing to
hope for, or to comfort myself in, but the finding
of such favour at thy hands.

O teach and help us all to live in peace, and
to love in truth, following peace with all men,
and walking in love as Christ has loved us ; that
we may be united and knit together as fellow-
members of the same body, whereof he is the

192 A PRAYER FOR PATIENCE.

glorious head. Teach me to look at the example
of him, who, though grievously wronged and pro-
voked, yet did not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his
voice to be heard in the streets ; and of him let
me learn meekness and lowliness of heart, that in
him I may find rest to my soul. O my God !
suppress all bitter resentments in my mind ; and
let the law of kindness be ever in my tongue ;
and a meek and quiet spirit showing itself in all
the conduct of my life. And, Lord, make us all
so gentle and peaceable, and easy to be intreated,
and hard to be provoked, that we may be fol-
lowers of God as dear children ; and that thou,
the God of peace mayst be with us, and delight
to dwell amongst us., and rejoice over us, to do
us good : for thy mercy's sake in Christ Jesus.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR PATIENCE

OM Y God ! thou knowest what an evil world
we live in; and how much I myself have
contributed to make it still worse by my sins :
and shall I, who have done so little good, and so
much evil, expect nothing but good at thy hands ?
In the world, thou hast told us, we shall have
tribulation : and O that tribulation may work
patience ; and that I may be contented to bear
whatever thou art pleased to lay upon me. En-
able me to possess my soul in patience, however
tried by corrections from thy hand, or by injuries

A PRAYER FOR PATIENCE. 103

from the hands of men. To blame the instru-
ment, or complain of thy providence, under the
pressures lying upon me, will but torment myself,
and still add to that which I count so grievous to
endure. O let me better provide for my own
ease as well as duty, than so to disquiet myself
in vain. And, whatever thou doest with me, O
Lord, let me be dumb, and not open my mouth
to reply or murmur, because it is thy doing.
Make me to acquiesce and rest satisfied even in
the bitterest dispensations of thy good provi-
dence ; contented with such things as I have, and
patient in the want of such comforts as I have
not. And since nothing but trouble and sorrow
is my deserved portion, O let me not be queru-
lous and froward ; forasmuch as thou dealest not
with me after my sins, nor rewardest me accord-
ing to my iniquities. May I patiently encounter
all difficulties and grievances in my passage
through this troublesome world : knowing that
the same afflictions are accomplished in my
brethren that are in the world, and that it is but
the common lot of all sinful mortals upon earth.
O make me patient until the coming of the Lord ;
enduring all things with a meek and quiet spirit;
and thoroughly convinced that they are happy
that endure ; and that such as endure unto the
end shall be saved. O my Lord, let not any
pains or sufferings ever drive me from thee ; but
rather be the means of bringing me nearer to
thee. And let the remembrance of the great day
13

194 FOR MORTIFICATION OF SIN.

of the Lord, and of the eternal state that is ap-
proaching, work in me a contempt of this world,
a mortification of my lusts, and a patient abiding
of the cross. Make me to feel that it is of very
little importance what we enjoy, or what we suf-
fer here for a short season, provided we be deli-
vered from the wrath to come, and be made happy
in thy kingdom for evermore. O let me, by
patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory
and honour and immortality ; and count nothing
in this world either dear to possess, or difficult to
suffer; so that I may but finish my course with
joy, and at the last rest from all my labours and
troubles, with the redeemed and blessed of the
Lord. All this I wait and beg for at thy good
hands, O my gracious Father, for the sake of
Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE MORTIFICATION OF ALL
FLESHLY LUSTS.

I HAVE vowed and promised unto thee, my
God, to renounce all the sinful lusts of the
flesh : and I am devoted, as one holy to the Lord :
that, having put on Jesus Christ, I should no more
make provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts
thereof: but should cleanse myself from all filthi-
ness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God. But though I have some delight in
the law of God, after the inner man, yet 1 find

FOE MORTIFICATION OF SIN. 195

another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members. And
this I acknowledge and bewail before thee, O
Lord, my God ; who alone canst set me free from
the lusts that are too hard for me. O help me,
thou God of my salvation, against the power of
these prevailing iniquities ; and purge away my
sins, for the glory of thy name. May the time
past suffice to have served my own lusts and plea-
sures. O let not sin any longer reign in my
mortal body, that I should obey it in the lusts
thereof. But help me, Lord, to cut off the right
hand, and to pluck out the right eye ; to keep
under my body, and to bring it into subjection,
that I may have the mastery of my lusts, and
overcome the sins that have so often overcome
me. O mortify and destroy in me every vicious
inclination that exalts itself against the authority
of my Lord, and that gives Satan an advantage
over me.

Preserve me, Lord most holy ! from all those
sinful pleasures that would rob me of the plea-
Mires which are at thy right hand for evermore.
O let me not lead a sensual life, minding the
things of the flesh, as if they were worthy of my
esteem ; but make me spiritually-minded, that 1
may above all things savour and relish the things
of the Spirit of God. Let not any sinful appe-
tite, but thy heavenly Spirit and grace, have the
predominance in my soul: do thou and thou

19(5 FOR SINCERITY.

alone, govern my heart and life. Especially, let
the sins to which I am most strongly tempted,
be effectually subdued. O let me not yield my-
self a miserable slave to my lusts ; but demean
myself as a wise and faithful follower of my Lord
and Saviour. And as thou, who hast called me,
art holy, so make me holy in disposition, and in
all my conversation ; that,* being a lover and fol-
lower of holiness, I may be counted worthy to see
and enjoy my Lord. O gird with might to that
spiritual conflict wherein I am engaged : enable
me to fight not only against flesh and blood, but
against those infernal foes, who are too strong for
me to deal with; that (through Christ strength-
ening me) I may vanquish all that withstands
thy glory, and my salvation ; and go on conquer-
ing and to conquer, till Satan be for ever bruised
under my feet. Fight for me, and fight with
me, O my God, that nothing may ever separate
me from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus my Lord. Amen.

o

A PRAYER FOR SINCERITY.

MY Lord, the only wise God, whose un-
derstanding is infinite, and from whom no
thought can be withheld! Thou fillest the whole
world with thy presence, and hast all things
ever naked and open before thine eyes. Thou
that teachest man knowledge, shalt not thou

FOR SINCERITY. 197

know? Thou searchest the heart, and hast even
our most secret sins in the light of thy counte-
nance. And thou chiefly callest for our hearts;
and requirest truth in the inward parts; and wilt
bring every work into judgment, and every secret
thing, whether good or evil. My God, I acknow-
ledge and bewail before thee, the guile and de-
ceitfulness of my heart: I lament that I have
been so unmindful of thy presence, and so regard-
less of thy glorious Majesty. I confess, O Lord,
that for these things thou mightst long since
have cut me off, and appointed me a portion with
the hypocrites. But, as thou hast spared me
thus long, humble me, I beseech thee, and pardon
me, for all the hypocrisy and treacherous dealing,
whereof I have been guilty. And as thou canst
speak to the heart, and order it even as thou wilt,
O make my heart right with thee, and without
any allowed guile in thy sight : that so I may
not be found wanting in that day, when thou
shalt come to judge the world.

O let thine all-seeing eye, and not the eye of
the world, restrain and regulate my conduct.
And let thy blessed favour, more than the appro-
bation of sinful men, be ever my study and de-
light. Search me, O God, and try me; and
whatever unpardoned guilt or unrepented wicked-
ness, whatever unknown error or countenanced
lust, lies in my soul, O help me to see it; and,
of thy mercy, deliver me from it: and let me not
regard iniquity in my heart. Let no presunip-

198 FOR SINCERITY.

tuous sins have dominion over me. Let me not
allow myself in any way of wickedness; nor go
on in formality and hypocrisy to serve thee: but
enable me to walk before thee with an upright
heart, and to do all things sincerely and heartily,
as unto the Lord. O let me not be only almost,
but altogether a Christian; obeying from the
heart all thy holy will; and not so much con-
cerned to seem religious, as to be so in deed and
in truth. Make me willing to part with the
dearest sins, and to perform the hardest duties,
for the sake of that adorable Saviour, who left
the highest glory, and endured the sorest misery,
for the sake of my soul. O make me true to my
own convictions, and faithful in exerting my own
endeavours : yea, make me ever jealous over my
heart, and conscientious in all my thoughts, and
words, and ways: that my praise may not be of
men, but of God; and that I may have continual
rejoicing in the testimony of my own conscience,
and in that peace of God, which passeth all un-
derstanding. O my Father, who seest in secret.'
let the performing of thy holy will, and the hon-
ouring of thy blessed name, and the enjoying of
thy gracious favour, be the great en-1 which I
design and aim at, in all my actions and under-
takings: that thou, the great and good God,
mayst in all things be glorified by me, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR INCREASE OF GRACE. 199

A PRAYER FOR INCREASE OF GRACE.

OGOD of all grace, who quickenest the dead,
and art both the Author and Finisher of thy
people's faith ! thou hast told us that the path of
the just is as the shining light, that shineth more
and more unto the perfect day; and that they go
from strength to strength, growing in grace, till
they appear before thee in glory. But, O Lord,
how barren and unfruitful have I been among
the trees of righteousness ! arid how little have I
made my profiting to appear under all the means
of grace which thou hast mercifully vouchsafed
unto me; how weak and low am I still in my
spiritual estate! how weak is my will, and small
my strength, to that which is good! how much
am I behind many of thy servants, who have not
had the helps and advantages which I have so
long enjoyed; and how little is it to be seen in
my life what great things the Lord has done for
my soul ! O my God, I have not well improved
the talents which thou hast put into my hands,
nor answered the care and kindness of heaven,
which I have so long experienced. Thou hast
not been wanting to me, O good Lord! but I
have been exceedingly wanting to myself, and to
that duty which I owe to thee, my God. I am
ashamed that it is no better with me, that so
many mercies have been lost upon me. Forgive
me, O my Father, and renew me after thy blessed

200 A PRAYER FOR INCREASE OF GRACE.

image. O help me still more and more to put off
the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts; and to put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness. Whatever else I want, Lord,
deny me not thy grace ! but increase it in me,
and discover it still more and more upon me. Yea,
let the graces of thy Spirit that accompany salva-
tion, so flourish in my soul, that the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding, may keep my
heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

Blessed Saviour! who earnest into the world
that we might have life, and have it more abun-
dantly, let me receive out of thy fulness grace
sufficient for me; that I may be strong in the
Lord, and ready to every good work. My Life,
my Strength, and my Redeemer! leave me not
under the curse of barrenness, to halt or decline
in my spiritual estate: but, as thou hast wrought
nil my works in me, stablish, I beseech thee, that
which thou hast wrought for me; and strengthen
the things which remain, that are ready to die.
Let the seeds of grace which thou hast sown in
my heart be watered by thy good Spirit; that my
soul may prosper and increase with the increase of
God, even as a watered garden, or as a spring
whose waters fail not. Make me to grow in know-
ledge and in grace; and to abound in all those
fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God; so that I may have
the witness in myself, that I am thy servant. O

A PRAYER FOR QUICKENING GRACE. 201

my Lori carry on with power the work of faith
and holiness in my soul ; that my sinful corruption
may grow weaker and weaker; and thy grace in
me may grow stronger and stronger; till, from
groaning under the body of sin and death, I come
to triumph over all the enemies of my soul. And
as thou art pleased to afford me the means or
grace, O grant me the increase of thy grace,
that they may not be lost upon me; but that in
the use of them I may be made still wiser, and
holier, and better, and fitter for thy blessed
acceptance in Jesus Christ my only Saviour.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR QUICKENING GRACE.

I ACKNOWLEDGE and bewail before thee,
O thou living and all-seeing God, my sinful
dulness, and backwardness to the duties of thy
holy service. When I should delight in the law
of God, and serve thee with gladness, and make
it my meat and drink to do the will of my hea-
venly Father, O how cold and listless am I in the
performance of that which is best for me, and
which most nearly and eternally concerns me ! I
am alive to the world, and very apt to be trans-
ported with the objects of sense ; but O how
heavy and dead in those offices of attendance on
my Lord, which are the joy and glory of all the
hosts of heaven! My soul cleaveth to the dust;
quicken me, O Lord, according to thy word; ac-

202 A PHAYER FOR DIVINE ASSISTANCE.

cording to thy precept, which commands us to be
spiritually-minded., and to be fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord. And quicken me, O my God,
according to the word of thy promise, that sin
shall not have dominion over thy servants; and
that thou wilt perfect that which concerneth
them. Dear Lord! be thou pleased to perfect
that which concerns my soul. And engage the
love of my heart to thy service. Let it be my
delight to do thy will, O God ; and with an en-
larged heart to run the way of thy commands. O
help me to put forth myself with vigour and
activity in thy holy ways : and to apply myself
to the performance of thy blessed will, not only
because I must, but because it is the desire of my
soul, and the joy of my heart, to be so engaged:
let nothing in the world give me so much pleasure
and satisfaction as to approve my heart unto thee,
my God, and to have all my works acceptable in
thy sight, through Jesus Christ, my only Medi-
ator and Advocate. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE DIVINE ASSISTANCE.

OLORD God Almighty, who givest power to
the faint, and increasest strength to them
that have no might ! without thee I can do no-
thing; I am unable even to will or think any-
thing that is good, or to keep myself from any-
thing that is evil: but my help is in the name of

A PRAYER FOR DIVINE ASSISTANCE. 203

the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Thou,

0 my God, art able to keep me from falling, and
to make me perfect in every good work, and to
work in me that which is well -pleasing in thy
sight, through Christ Jesus. And thou hast en-
couraged me to come boldly to the throne of
grace, that I may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help me in time of need. Lord of all power and
grace ! I come, trusting in thine almighty strength,
thine infinite goodness, and thy gracious promises;

1 come to ask of thee whatsoever is wanting in
myself; and to obtain grace sufficient for me.
Let thy good Spirit help my infirmities, and
strengthen me with might in the inner man; that
so I may be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his might; and do all things as I ought,
through Christ strengthening me.

O thou that hast shown thyself graciously on
my behalf, and hast brought me hitherto, I be-
seech thee, cast me not off, nor abandon me to
myself, who am a reed shaken with the wind, a
leaf driven to and fro : but let me still experience
thy help at hand, and find thee to be an all-suffi-
cient God, performing all things for me. I will go
forth in the strength of the Lord God, and trust
in the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting
strength. O my Lord ! come to my succour, and
be thou my helper: carry me on in thy holy
ways; and make all that I think, and speak, and
do, acceptable in thy sight. O may I both put
forth myself, to stir up the grace of God that is

204 BEFORE HEARING GOD'S WORD.

in me; and let me find such fresli supplies of
grace, that I may see my desires accomplished,
and my endeavours brought to good effect, through
Jesus Christ, our Strength and our Redeemer.
A men.

A PRAYER BEFORE THE HEARING OF
GOD'S WORD.

OMOST blessed Lord, the God of all grace!
who art pleased to send out thy light and
thy truth among us; both to discover our sins
unto us, and also to make the way of life and
salvation plain before us: be thou pleased also to
send the Spirit of thy Son into our hearts, to
make it plain to our understanding, and to ren-
der it the savour of life unto our souls. O Lord,
open our ears, and quicken our attention to the
instructions that shall be given us, that we may
receive thy word with all carefulness and meek-
ness, yea, with all readiness and gladness, with
an unfeigned delight in it, and a hearty desire to
live and grow by it. And strengthen our memo-
ries, that we may treasure up and retain what
we hear; that we may not let it slip, but may de-
rive substantial benefit from, and be to all eter-
nity the better for it. O gracious God ! teach us
to profit; and make our improvement more an-
swerable to those means of grace, which through
thy mercy we enjoy. Let the word which shall
sound in our ears, sink down also into our hearts.

AFTER HEARING OF THE WORD. 205

find take root within us, and produce in our lives
the fruits of righteousness. Let us not be for-
getful hearers, but faithful doers of thy word. O
let the immortal seed of this heavenly word beget
such principles of grace and holiness in our hearts,
as may be in us a well of water springing up to
everlasting life. Make us so obedient to thy
holy precepts, that we may also inherit the glo-
rious promises of thy word. O let our teachers
be taught of God, and direct the stewards of thy
mysteries to give unto every one his portion in
due season. And whilst thy servants are plant-
ing and watering, do thou, O God, bestow thy
blessing, and send an abundant increase. Make
the waters of thy sanctuary healing to our souls.
Yea, make thy word as fire in the mouths of thy
messengers: and make it to come home to our
souls in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
Let it be mighty through God, to the pulling
down of strongholds, and subduing all opposition
to the obedience of Christ. Come down in the
midst of us, O God of our salvation, and cause
thy word to do thy great and glorious work upon
all our hearts; that we may have reason to praise
and glorify thee to all eternity. Amen.

A PRAYER AFTER HEARING OF THE WORD.

w

E bless thee, O Lord, the living God, who
boldest our souls in life, and providest for

206 AFTER HEARING OF THE WORD.

us that heavenly food by which we are to live for
ever. It has now been delivered and received ;
but the blessing is in thy hands, O gracious God,
to make it prosperous and successful to the gain-
ing and saving of immortal souls. O wilt thou
be pleased to send it home to the heart ; and
there make it to abide, till it has done thy will,
and wrought thy work effectually. Make use of
it now to build us up in the faith of Christ, and
to help us forward in all holiness of life : let every
hearer become a doer of thy word, that we may
all, in this world, be blessed in our deeds, and
hereafter be for ever blessed in the joy of our
Lord.

O that all who have been convinced of their
sins, may also be converted to thyself : that they
may not only think of the holy change that is to
be wrought in them, but seek incessantly the
attainment of it. And let thy blessed Spirit so
prevail with them, that their good impressions
may not be lost, till they have effected the work
of thy grace within them. O make thy word
mighty through God, to plant thy grace where it
is not ; to increase it where it is; and to bring us
all into a state of greater nearness to thee, and
more entire conformity to thine image. Let us
find our knowledge more clear and spiritual; our
faith more firm and operative; and all our graces
continually increasing in strength and activity.
Let us so hear, that our souls may live before
thee, both now and evermore. Amen.

MJNDFULNESS OF GOD'S PRESENCE. 207

A PRAYER FOR MINDFULNESS OF
GOD'S PRESENCE.

OLORD, the infinite, incomprehensible God !
thou art the high and holy One, who in-
habitest eternity, and dwellest in the light which
no man can approach unto; and from thy glorious
throne in heaven, thou lookest down upon all the
inhabitants of the earth, to give unto every one
according to his ways, and according to the fruit
of his doings. Though no mortal eye can see
thee, no finite understanding comprehend thee,
yet thou art here, and everywhere present ;
and now and evermore thou seest us, and under-
standest our thoughts afar off, and art thoroughly
acquainted with all our ways. Yea, thou art so
universally observant as to have a particular con-
cern for every person and action in the whole
world. Great God! thou fillest heaven and earth
with thy presence; O fill my heart with thy
grace, and with a mindfulness of thy presence
with me : that I may set the Lord always before
me; and evermore remember thee in all my ways.
O that ever I should forget the God that made
me; the God who quickens everything that
lives, concurs with everything that moves, and
upholds everything that has a being, through-
out the world 1 O that I should have been, as
it were, without thee in the world, and forget-
ful of thee, in whom I ever live, and move, and

208 MINDFULNESS OP GOD'S PRESENCE.

am ; and who hast been watchful over me for
good all my days ! Holy God ! because I have
regarded thee no more thou mightst make me
sensible of thy presence in judgments worthy of
thyself. But, O Lord, in mercy pardon all such
my sinful neglect and inadvertence. And as I
am ever exposed to thine all-seeing eye, make
me to walk as in thine immediate presence. Let
the remembrance of thy presence sway and guide
me, in secret and in company, at all times, in all
places, and in all my actions: let me demean my-
self as ever under the awful eyes of the great
God of heaven and earth : and fear thee above all
other powers, love thee above all other gods,
serve thee before all other lords, and trust in
thee more than in any other refuge. Yea, let
me rejoice, under the shadow of thy wings, and
herein solace myself, that thou art my right hand,
and ever with me. O let not the remembrance
of my Lord be grievous to me : but let my medi-
tations of God be sweet, as well as frequent;
that delighting myself in the Lord, thou mayst
give unto me the desires of my heart. And so
guide me with thine eye, that I may not err from
thy statutes, but be ever accepted in thy sight,
through Jesus Christ. Amen*

FOR A RIGHT FRAME OF SPIRIT. 209

A PRAYER FOR DEVOTION,

AND A RIGHT FRAME OF SPIRIT IN THE WORSHIP OF GOD.

OMOST high and holy Lord God! thou wilt
be sanctified in them that come nigh unto
thee : thou art greatly to be feared, and to be had
in reverence of all that are about thee. Be
pleased to sanctify me with thy grace; and help
me so to draw nigh unto thee in prayer, that
thou mayst draw nigh unto me in the communi-
cations of thy love and mercy.

I desire, O my God, to meet thee in thy ways,
and (in compliance with thy gracious appoint-
ment) I fall down and worship here at thy foot-
stool in the name and through the mediation of
thy dear Son. I am indeed most unworthy to
come into thy holy presence, and utterly unable
(of myself) to perform any service meet to be
presented to thy heavenly Majesty! but O let
thy great mercy overlook my unworthiness; and
keep me from every thing that would make my
prayers an abomination to the Lord. And, as
thou hast made me sensible of my duty, and of
my own insufficiency to discharge it as I ought,
O let thy good Spirit help my infirmities; let
thine almighty power keep me from sinful dul-
ness and distractions, that I may worship thee in
spirit and in truth, and offer thee a sacrifice that
shall be well-pleasing in thy sight, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
14

210 FOR GOD'S PRESENCE.

A PRAYER FOU THE ENJOYMENT

OP GOD'S GRACIOUS PRESENCE AND DIVINE COMMUNION.

f\ THOU infinite Majesty of heaven and earth,
\J who canst nowhere be absent,, but fillest all
things ! no place is so desolate as to be without
thee ; no men so bad, but they live and move,
and have their being in thee : yea, the very devils
are not out of thy reach ; but are aware of thy
presence, though to their cost : even in hell, thou
art there : but to thy people, that bear thine
image, and know thy voice, and prize thy love,
to them thou art pleased to communicate thyself
in a more especial manner ; and to go in and out
among them, as the children of thy family. And
thou hast promised, that thou wilt not leave them
comfortless ; but will come to them and dwell in
them, and be their God, and make them thy
people. Thus thou dost manifest thyself to them,
as thou dost not unto the world. Yes, Lord, our
sins do make a wall of separation between thee
and us ; and for them thou mightst justly forsake
us, and cast us off in displeasure. How justly
mightst thou hide thy face from me especially,
and abandon me to my wretched self!

But though my ill desert may well provoke
such indignation against me, yet let my wretch-
edness move thy compassion towards me; and
where thou canst not take pleasure in me, yet,
Father of mercies, have pity on me ; and cast me

FOR GOD'S PRESENCE. 211

not away from thy presence, neither abhor me, for
thy name's sake ; but for the sake of that mercy
which has moved thee to do so much for me al-
ready, O come to me, and make thine abode with
me, and rejoice over me, to do me good. My
soul is as a desolate wilderness, yea, even the
very image of hell, without thee, my God ; but,
O Emmanuel, God with us, for thy mercy's sake,
for thy promise sake, see me lying afar off; and
bring me nigh through the blood of thy cross. O
bring me out of my present state of alienation
from thee ; and make me safe under the shadow
of thy wings, and happy in the comforts of thy
love.

If thou reject me, O my God! what in the
world can then avail, or make any recompence
for the loss of thy favour ? in thy favour is life ;
without it, I am dead while I live, and shall be
for ever accursed when I die : but if thou be with
me, and lift up the light of thy countenance upon
me, I shall overflow with joy unspeakable. Even
in the absence of all other friends and comforts, I
shall not need, I shall not desire them : if only I
can go to God, my exceeding joy, and be taken
up with my blessed Lord, I shall want nothing, I
can want nothing ; for in thy presence is fulness
of joy for evermore. O blessed are they whom
thou choosest, and causest to approach so nigh
unto thee, and who are so highly favoured by
thee : for thy presence can make the poorest cot-
tage better than the stateliest palace; and fill the

212 FG.R GOD'S PRESENCE.

hearts of thy servants with divine delights, to
which the greatest men of the world are strangers.
O what manner of love is this, that the great God
of heaven should vouchsafe to visit and reside
with poor mortals on earth! But, Lord, how
unworthy am I, that thou shouldst come under
my roof! O blessed Jesus! be thou pleased to
regard my undone state without thee, and my
restless longings after thee, and be pleased to
come unto me, dear Lord, not because I deserve,
but because I need thee; not for my merits, but
for thine own. My Lord and my1 God! whom
have I in heaven but thee? and there is none
upon earth that I desire besides thee. O be not
as a stranger to the soul in which thou hast
planted an inclination to serve thee: but bless
and honour me with that divine fellowship of
which thou hast made me capable, and which my
soul panteth after. O give me the satisfaction
to find that thou hast given me a heart to seek.
Yea, give me grace, O my Lord, to go on seek-
ing, till I find thee, whom my soul desires above
all to love. Let me endure any thing rather
than thine absence arid displeasure; and desire
nothing so much as thy presence and favour.

And be not thou far from me, O my God; but
let me experience thy gracious presence with me
and behold thy goodness passing before me. Lord
Jesus, thou hast promised to be with thy people
even to the end of the world: O come, be with
my spirit, and dwell in my heart by faith. Be

FOR HEAVENLY COMFORTS. 213

with me, O my Saviour, everywhere, and at all
times, in health and in sickness, in prosperity and
trouble, in all estates, and in all events and cir-
cumstances of my life ; let thy presence sanctify
and sweeten to me whatever befalls me. Never
leave nor forsake me in my present pilgrimage,
but abide with me till thou hast brought me safe,
through all trials and dangers, to thy heavenly
kingdom; that I may there dwell in thy sight,
and enjoy thy love, and inherit thy glory for
evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR HEAVENLY COMFORTS.

OMOST blessed Lord, the God all consola-
tion, who comfortest those that are cast
down, and givest such peace and joy as the world
can neither give nor take away ! I confess myself
unworthy of one gracious look from thee, or of
one glimpse of the light of thy countenance to be
lifted up upon my soul. I deserve to be in heavi-
ness for my sins; to groan under the oppressive
burden all my days; and at last to go down in
sorrow to my grave. But because thou knowest
Lord, that our spirits fail when we are under the
hidings of thy face ; and that we cannot hope to
go on with fidelity and alacrity in thy way, unless
we possess that joy in the Lord which is our
strength; I beseech thee, O Lord of love, to
speak peace to my conscience, and to say to

214 FOR HEAVENLY COMFORTS.

my soul, that thou art my salvation. Let thy
heavenly consolations fortify me against the desire
of all sinful pleasures, and engage my heart to
faithfulness in the covenant of my God. O give
me some tokens of thy love, some discoveries of
the light of thy countenance, some experience of
that joy with which the stranger intermeddleth
not. My soul thirsteth for thee my God, to see
thy power, and thy glory, so as I have seen thee
in the sanctuary. How long wilt thou forget me,
O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy
face from me? how long shall I take counsel in

O

my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? O
cause thy face to shine upon me: and let my
heart rejoice in thee, because I have trusted in
thy holy name. Let my mouth be filled with
thy praise, and with thine honour, all the day
long. And let my soul be satisfied, as with
marrow and fatness, when I praise thee with joy-
ful lips.

Whatever be my lot as to those common
favours, which thou distributest indifferently
amongst all sorts of men, O remember me, Lord,
with the favour which thou bearest to thy people,
and visit me with thy salvation : let me see the
good of thy chosen, and rejoice in the gladness of
thy nation, and glory with thine inheritance. O
that, renouncing all confidence in the flesh, I may
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and count thy love better
than wine, and prefer it above my chief joy.
And since the work of righteousness is peace, and

FOR A HEAVENLY MIND. 215

the effect of it is quietness and assurance for ever,
O make me a true and faithful subject of that
spiritual kingdom, wherein dwell righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Let me
taste and see that thou art gracious : and let me
have such manifest tokens of a divine influence
upon my soul, and such an evident witness of thy
Spirit within me, as shall assure my heart of thy
love and favour to me in Christ Jesus; that my
soul may bless thee, O Lord, and all that is within
me may praise thy holy name. And let the com-
fort, wherewith thou comfortest me, be the means
of comforting others, and of encouraging them to
devote themselves to thy service : that so thou,
the blessed giver of all joy and comfort, mayst in
all things be glorified, through Jesus Christ.
Amen.

A PRAYER AGAINST WORLDLINESS, AND FOR
A HEAYENLY MIND.

THOU, O blessed God, art the only satisfying'
portion and happiness of our souls; in whom
alone the desires of our hearts may find that rest
and repose, which all the world besides can never
give. But, alas, this world, and the things of it,
have had too much of my thoughts, and too much
of my heart; so that I have grown remiss in my
affections, and cold in my regards to thee, my
God, and to those things which are most worthy
of my love. I have been eager in the pursuit of

216 FOR A HEAVENLY MIND.

vanities, and of the trifling concerns of this pre-
sent time; but O how slack and listless in that
which does most nearly and eternally concern
me ! I have been intent upon this world, as if it
would never end; and forgetful of the next, as if
it should never begin ! I have forsaken the foun-
tain of living waters to hew out to myself broken
cisterns that can hold no water : I have disquieted
myself in vain, seeking rest, and finding none:
because I have sought it where the precious trea-
sure was not to be found. How justly mightst
thou, OLord, leave me to inherit my own wretched
choice, to eat of the fruit of my own way, and to
be filled with my own devices; how justly mightst
thou give me all my portion in this life, which I
have so foolishly preferred, and shut me out of that
heavenly kingdom, which I have so madly de-
spised.

But, O thou Father of mercies ! forgive me all
the defects of my love to thee, and all the ex-
cesses of my love to earthly things: and so
moderate my desires after these inferior goods,
that, instead of doting upon the world, I may
covet earnestly the best gifts; and seek first thy
kingdom, and its righteousness ; esteeming godli-
ness the greatest gain, and all else but as loss and
dung, for the love of Christ and the glories of
heaven. O show me so much of those great and
glorious things of the world to come, as may
deaden my affections to the things of this present
world: "crucify the world to me, and me unto the

CONCERN FOR THE SOUL. 217

world ; that being more disengaged and loosened
from it, I may be more enamoured with, and in-
tent upon, the things above, where Christ sitteth
at the right hand of God. O let me not debase
my heavenly soul, by grovelling in the earth, as
if I had nothing to do but to serve this vile body.
Enable me to despise the most tempting enjoy-
ments of this world, and to find my happiness in
the service of my Lord, and in the prospect of
his glory. May my heart be with my treasure in
the heavens : and let me be ever looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the
great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ: not
coveting great things in the world, nor desiring
to continue long in it; but rather seeking to get
safe out of it, and desirous to be dissolved, and to
be ever with the Lord. Even so, come Lord
Jesus. Amen, and Amen.

A PRAYER FOR GREATER CONCERNMENT
FOR THE SOUL,

AND THE THINGS OF ANOTHER WORLD.

OLORD God, to whom I am indebted for all
that I am, or have! thou hast given me my
being, together with many opportunities and ad-
vantages for working out my salvation. And O,
what have I to do upon earth, but to prepare
myself for heaven? when I am placed here be-
tween an eternity of happiness and of misery; in

218 CONCERN FOR THE SOUL.

a capacity for the one, and in danger of the other.
O what should be my care and constant endea-
vour, but to flee from the wrath to come, and to
lay hold on eternal life ! to provide well for my
everlasting condition, and to make sure work for
my immortal soul, in this only time of prepara-
tion ! But O how negligent and careless have I
been in that which most of all concerns me : doing
everything rather than the great work which
thou didst send me into the world to do; so that
thou mightst justly come upon me, Lord, to call
me to my last account in a day unlocked for, and
at an hour that I should not be aware of. But
for the sake of that mercy of thine in Christ
Jesus, which has prevailed with thee to spare me
so long, go on, I beseech thee, O my God, to be
merciful to me, in forgiving me all my past sloth
and negligence, and in quickening me to a greater
concernment and assiduity : that I may redeem
the time that I have lost, and improve every pre-
sent enjoyment to my soul's eternal advantage.
O preserve me from all the distracting cares, and
the sinful pleasures of this life. And let me look
less upon the temporal things that are seen ; and
turn my eyes more towards the invisible and eter-
nal things that are before me. O make me more
concerned for my everlasting state, and more
careful to do that work, which, above all things
in the world, is most needful to be done. O let
me dread the doom of the slothful servant ; and
not be listless in the business that is of greatest

EARNESTNESS IN RELIGION. 219

importance. Lord, show me the truth and rea-
lity of things to come : and give me such a view
and apprehension of my supreme good,, as may
raise my desires after it, in proportion to its worth
and excellency; and make me so dissatisfied
without it, that I may count nothing too much to
do, nothing too hard to endure, so that I may at
last attain the blessed enjoyment of it.

O let the meditation of hell be a preservative
to deter me from all the ways leading to that
dreadful end : and may I so look to the joy set
before me, that with all vigour and alacrity, I
may exert myself to attain the possession of it.
O my God, give me the spirit of wisdom from
above, to discern the vast disproportion between
the snort moment of this present time, and the
infinite duration of immortality; and between the
pleasures of sin that are but for a season, and
those heavenly pleasures that are at thy right
hand for evermore. Seeing that all these things
must be dissolved, O make me such a manner of
person as I ought to be in all holy conversation
and godliness, looking for and hasting to the
coming of the day of God. Quicken me, O Lord,
in my dulness, and hasten me out of my delays ;
that I may not prolong the time of doing what I
am convinced is necessary to be done, to save me
from the second death, and to bring me to eter-
nal life. O to what purpose am I troubled and
careful about many things, when I neglect the
one thing needful! help me, my God, to use the

220 A PRAYER FOR FAITHFULNESS.

reason and understanding which thou hast given
me, and dispassionately to consider what will pro-
mote my true happiness; give me also resolution
and faithfulness to choose and follow it, whatever
difficulties at present may obstruct my way.
Help me, O Lord, to remember and consider all
the powerful inducements which may quicken me
into a greater care for my eternal state : that my
being may not last longer than the good of my
being; but that it may go well with me elsewhere
for ever, when all that is here shall fail me. O
that I may now give diligence to make my calling
and election sure; and strive to enter in at the
strait gate; and labour for that meat which en-
dures to everlasting life. Teach me, O my God,
by patient continuance in well-doing, to seek for
glory, honour, and immortality: that I may not
fall short of that rest which remains for the peo-
ple of God; but so labour here in thy work, that
hereafter I may rest from my labours in thy king-
dom ; not for the merit of my works, but for thy
mercy's sake in Christ Jesus. Amen.

o

A PRAYER FOR FAITHFULNESS

AND CONSTANCY IN THE PROFESSION OP OUR RELIGION.

MY Lord and my God, who hast called me

to the knowledge of thine eternal truth, and
by the light of the gospel shining upon me hast
made the way of life and salvation plain before

A PRAYER FOR FAITHFULNESS. 221

me! be thou pleased to give me courage still to
confess thee before men; and to own thy holy
religion, even in the face of an evil and adulter-
ous generation. O let me not be tossed to and
fro, and carried away with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive. My God
and guide ! suffer me not to be led away with the
error of the wicked, and to fall from my own
steadfastness : but may I ever hold fast the pro-
fession of my faith without wavering, and hold
the beginning of my confidence steadfast to the
end. O give me such an experimental know-
ledge and love of thy holy truth, as may make
me ever faithful in the profession of it: that my
mind may not be corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ ; and that I may never be turned
away from that religion, in which I have found
so much comfort and advantage. And grant me,
good Lord, to feel still more and more the power-
ful efficacy of it upon my heart : that I may be
rooted and grounded in the faith; and take so
much pleasure in the way into which thy grace
has brought me, that I may never turn from it,
nor prove false to it: but, notwithstanding all
temptations to seduce or affright me from it, may
openly declare for it, and faithfully persist in it
till my life's end. Amen.

222 A PRAYER FOR ZEAL.

A PRAYER FOR ZEAL AND ACTIVITY IN THE
PRACTICE OF OUR RELIGION.

OLORD, the holy jealous God I thou hast
declared how loathsome to thee are the luke-
warm; and hast pronounced him cursed that
doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully; and hast
told us the dreadful doom of the slothful servant,
who was condemned, not for committing gross
evils, but for neglecting to improve his talents ;
thou didst send us into this world, to provide for
the next : and we are a people devoted to the
Lord ; having vowed and promised to serve our
God with all the powers and faculties we possess.
This is the one thing needful, that we were made
for, and that we are all most strictly bound to,,
and must follow with our whole hearts, if ever we
would escape the damnation of hell, and enter
into the joy of our Lord. But I am ashamed, O
my God, that I have loitered so long in thy vine-
yard, and trifled so much in thy work ; that I
have occupied myself about vanities, and slighted
my greatest business. And well may I now
tremble for fear of thy judgments, when I have
so little approved myself, as one of thy redeemed,
zealous of good works.

O merciful Lord ! forgive me all my sinful
omissions, and all my careless performances of the
duties of thy service. And quicken me into a
greater zeal and diligence to promote thy glory

A PRAYEK FOR ZEAL,. 223

and to work out my salvation. And let me not
contend merely for the faith and doctrine of the
gospel, but be zealous for the practice of all its
duties : that by my good conversation I may win
others, and by the light which I cause to shine
before them, may constrain them to glorify my
heavenly Father.

To glorify thy name., and save our souls, is the
greatest of all our concerns in the world : nothing
can deserve so much of our care, and zeal, and
diligence, as to obtain deliverance from thy wrath,
and to secure the possession of thy heavenly
kingdom. O how much are we concerned to be
active in this work, and to give ourselves wholly
to it, when upon this moment depends an eternity
to come; and all that concerns us for ever, hangs
upon this short life, that is so quickly gone, and
will never return ! O my God J imprint these
considerations so deep upon my heart, that I may
no more trifle with the weighty things of eternity,
nor show a cold indifference about that which is
of such absolute necessity. Make me to act as
one that must be a blessed or a damned creature
for ever : make me as zealous for my God^ as ever
I have been eager for the world ; and as active in
the pursuit of things eternal, as ever I have been
in those which relate to this present world. Let
me give up myself wholly unto thee ; and show
the sincerity of my professions by that zeal and
fervency which are the very life and soul of Chris-
tianity. O thou great rewarder of them that

224 A PRAYER FOR ZEAL.

diligently seek thee I help me seriously to engage
in thy service, and unweariedly to go through
with it ; not slothful in business, but fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord ; exercising myself unto
godliness ; continuing watchful in prayer ; keep-
ing my heart with all diligence; ordering my
conversation with all usefulness : and running
the race set before me with all cheerfulness. O
let me be full of life and spirit in thy work, and
full of good deeds and fruits to thine- honour ;
ever labouring to be accepted here to thy favour,
and hereafter to thy glory.

Yea, make me more zealous for thine honour,

0 Lord, than for my own. And whatever is in-
jurious and reproachful to thee, O let me hate it
perfectly, and oppose it strenuously : and yet
with such prudence, and kindness towards men,
that I may not betray my own shame, in defend-
ing thy glory ; nor let my zeal consume, but in-
flame my charity, and put me upon doing all the
good that ever I am able in my generation ; that

1 may serve the interests of my Lord, and help
forward the salvation of souls. O make me va-
liant for thy truth, and discreet in my conduct :
that I may neither betray thy holy cause by my
fear, nor become a reproach to it by my folly. 6
let me spend my zeal and spirits not for earthly,
but for heavenly things ; not for my own desires
and honour, but for thy blessed will and pleasure;
not in frivolous contentions about the little ap-
pendages and circumstantials of religion, but in

FOR JOY IN GOD'S SERVICE. 225

pressing after the vital and substantial part, and
in a concernment about the great unquestionable
duties that are necessary to the saving of the soul.
And grant me thy grace, O Lord, to live now so
zealously to the glory of thy name, that I may
come to live blessedly for ever in the glories of
thy kingdom,, not for the sake of my services, but
of thy mercies, whose gift is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYEK FOE GRACE TO SERVE THE LORD
WITH GLADNESS.

OMY God ! thou art a Lord that Last plea-
sure in the prosperity of thy servants ; and
thy servants have the greatest reason to be pleased
in the performance of thy commands. It is good
for me to draw iiigh to God, in whose presence is
fulness of joy. Well may the hearts of them
rejoice that seek the Lord ! For thou dost not
employ us, but to oblige us : not for any advan-
tage to thyself, but only for our greatest good,
that it may go well with us, both here and for
ever. O my Lord, I am full of trouble and con-
fusion that ever I should be so backward as 1
have been to thy blessed work ; so lifeless in it,
and so soon weary of it ; to the dishonour of thy
name, and the reproach of thy service; as if I had
a hard master, and a hateful work. O that I
should bear as a burden that which should be the
15

226 FOR ABILITY FOR OUR PLACES.

solace of my life, and the rejoicing of my heart !
Forgive me, I beseech thee, good Lord, all this
which I bewail before thee ; and heal that indis-
position of mind which makes thy service a weari-
ness unto me. And so renew my spirit, and draw
my heart to thy blessed self, that I may not serve
thee as from necessity, but inclination; not as
forcing myself, but as delighting in thy work. O
rid my mind of that tormenting dread which
makes me uneasy in the service of my Lord.
And give me a heavenly heart, and such a love
to thy law as may sweeten all my obedience; that
I may not account it grievous or tedious, but my
soul's satisfaction and exceeding joy. O let me
not serve thee, my God, with the spirit of bon-
dage, as a slave; but with the cheerfulness and
gladness of an ingenuous child : sitting down
with delight under thy shadow, and so pleased
with thy work, that my services may also be pleas-
ing in thy sight, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR ABILITY
TO ACQUIT OURSELVES AS WE OUGHT

IN OUR SEVERAL PLACES.

OLORD our Lord ! thy word enjoins us,
whereinsoever we are called, therein to abide
with God. Thou hast commanded us not only to
t>tudy quietness in that station, and to do our own

FOR ABILITY FOR OUR PLACES. 227

business, but to provide for ourselves and for our
dependents, and to render unto all their due ; and
not to be burthensome to any, but rather tc be
helpful to those around us. O thou that givest
skill and ability for the performance of those of-
fices to which thou callest us, teach and enable
me (I beseech thee) for the work of my place,
and for all the duties of my calling. Good Lord !
pardon all my past unfaithfulness and negligence
therein : and direct and assist me in discharging
it for the time to come. O make me so contented
with what I get by honest means, that I may
never offer to go beyond or defraud my neighbours
in any matter ; but be punctually just in all my
dealings,, and may conscientiously perform my
duty in all my relations; carrying myself as I
ought towards every one with whom I am in any
way concerned in the world, whether superior,
equal, cr inferior; being offensive to none, but
(as I have power and opportunity for it) kind and
useful unto all. O let me not walk disorderly,
neglecting my own proper calling, and busying
myself in other men's matters ; but may I keep
in my own station, and with quietness work and
eat my own bread, and provide things honest in
the sight of all men : following after that which
is lovely and of good report, and exercising my-
self to have always a conscience void of offence
towards God and man. Yea, whatever any may
justly expect from me, help me, O my. God, to
discharge it faithfully and acceptably. And

228 FOR SKILL TO CONDUCT OURSELVES

command a blessing, Lord, upon all my honest
labours and endeavours, and make them success-
ful to promote my own and others' real and eter-
nal good, and to glorify thy blessed name, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER
FOR SKILL TO BEHAVE OURSELVES ARIGHT

TO ALL WITH WHOM WE ARE CONCERNED IN THE WORLD.

OLORD my God! I desire to humble myself
in thy sight for all the folly and disorder of
my conduct : that I have so frequently failed in
it, and so shamefully miscarried in my intercourse
with my neighbours: that my example has too
often tended more to the hardening than to the
converting of sinners; and that I have lain as a
stumbling-block and rock of offence in the way
of my brethren: not only prone to be tempted
with evil and to be overcome myself, but also
becoming a temptation and a snare to others, so
as to draw them into sin, or to embolden them
in it. Though thou hast showed me what is good,
and made me to know better things, and laid the
greatest engagement upon me to be faithful in
thy covenant, yet O how apt have I been to lose
4ny relish of the things of God! how apt to be
carried into folly with the stream of evil com-
pany, to fall into base compliance, and to con-

IN OUR SOCIAL INTERCOURSES. 229

sent with sinners and follow a multitude to do
evil!

O my God! give me repentance and pardon
for all my own sins, and for all the guilt which I
have contracted in being accessory to the sins
of others. And so fortify me with thy grace that
I may not be awed or seduced from the path of
duty; that I may never be ashamed of Christ
before men, but boldly appear for thy truth, even
in the face of an evil and faithless generation. O
teach me to walk in wisdom towards them that
are without, and in all kindness towards them
that are within, and without offence (in prudence
and usefulness) to all. Make me wise in the
choice and in the enjoyment of my company;
that they may not be to me, nor I to them, an
occasion of falling; but that we may be mutual
helps to each other, and examples of all that is
good, and imitable, and praise-worthy. O graci-
ous Lord! make me so faithful to thee and to
my own conscience, that my conversation with the
world may never discompose the religious frame
of my soul. Let me not be startled at any bold
censure of thy ways; nor ever be turned aside
from thee through the contradiction of sinners.
Make me to cease from man, whose breath is in
his nostrils: (for wherein is he to be accounted
of?) O turn my fear of men's faces into love for
their souls! let me esteem them as my fellow-
servants in thy work, and fellow-travellers to our
long home: and, where I cannot promote their

230 FOR CIRCUMSPECTION.

duty and felicity, grant, O Lord, that they may
not hinder mine: and that when I am not edified,
I may not be corrupted by them.

O my God, may thy presence ever sway me
more than the presence of men; let me count it
a small thing t0 be judged of them; and instead
of being determined by their way or humour, let
me regard my own conscience more than their
opinion; and do all in the sight of God, heartily
as unto the Lord. Let it not be my aim to in-
gratiate myself with men, but to please the great
Judge of all. Yet keep thy servant, O Lord,
from giving scandal and offence to any; that I
may not, by pride and passion, by vanity and in-
discretion, or by moroseness and uncharitable-
ness, dishonour my profession, or make the way
of truth to be evil spoken of. But help me, O
my God and guide, to walk circumspectly, and
to speak and act with due consideration of all
times and places, persons and circumstances:
enable me to behave myself wisely, and guide
my affairs with discretion; and so to go in and
out among my fellow-creatures upon earth as to
preserve my integrity in thy sight, and have my
conversation in heaven, and still enjoy friendship
with thee and with thy dear Son, my only Lord
and Saviour. Amen,

TO USE OUR SPEECH ARIGHT. 231

A PRAYER FOR GRACE TO USE OUR SPEECH
ARIGHT.

OLORD our gracious God! who hast given
us reason and speech to express our minds
to one another, and to converse comfortably
together, what great cause have we to praise
thee that we are so fearfully and wonderfully
made! and our tongues, that are our glory, are
most of all so when with them we set forth thy
glory. But alas! that I have so much cause to
humble myself for all the abuses of my tongue;
and that I have so many ways perverted the
happy privilege of speaking: either holding my
peace where I should have spoken to thine hon-
our and the good of my neighbour; or else pour-
ing out words to dishonour thy name, to wrong
my own soul, and to offend and injure others!
Forgive me, O merciful God, I beseech thee, all
my sinful silence, my vain and idle words, and
my evil, corrupt communications. And help me
so to speak as to manifest thy grace in my heart,
and to minister the same to my hearers. Set a
watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the
door of my lips, that nothing may proceed thence,
but what shall be in some way or other good for
the use of edifying. Help me to keep my mouth
as with a bridle, when I am provoked to speak
unadvisedly with my lips. And let no profane
or filthly speeches proceed out of my mouth; nor

232 TO USE OUR SPEECH ARIGHT*

any thing be said by me that ought not to be
named among Christians.

O Lord,, open thou my lips, that my mouth
may show forth thy praise. Make me forward
to speak for thee, arid for the service of thy truth,
and the glory of thy name; but slow to speak
any evil whereby I may defile myself, or hurt my
neighbour. Give me, Lord, a considerate mind,
to weigh what is fit to be said : and make me
wise and serious, sober and modest, pious and
charitable in what I speak: that it may be with-
out offence, but not without profit to those who
hear it. O fill my heart with such grace that,
out of the good treasure, I may be ever produc-
ing somewhat to benefit the company and to
advance thy glory. And put such thoughts into
my mind, and such words into my mouth, that
my tongue may be as the pen of a ready writer
to utter things seasonable and acceptable for the
good of my associates. Let me never turn my
liberty of speaking into the licentiousness of vain
or evil speaking; but employ it to the wise and
noble ends for which it was given: speaking of
and for thy testimonies, even before the greatest,
without being ashamed.

O Lord, restrain the blasphemous and brutish
generation that set their mouths against heaven,
and (out of those open sepulchres) send forth
impieties and impurities to dishonour him that
made them, to grieve the souls of thy servants,
and to spread the contagion of their ungodliness.

FOR PERSEVERANCE. 233

O fill their face with shame for what they have
done, and their hearts with dread, to stop them
from proceeding any farther. Confound the gene-
ration of vipers, that hiss and spit their venom
against thy holy ways; and give them other
tongues, that they may use thy gifts to better
purpose. O let the lying lips be put to silence,
that speak grievous things proudly and contemp-
tuously against the righteous. And let such as
fear thee and think upon thy name speak often
to one another, so as to promote their common
edification and the eternal salvation of their souls,
through thy gracious goodness to them in Jesus
Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR PERSEVERANCE AND GRACE
TO ENDURE TO THE END.

INTERNAL God, with whom is everlasting
JM strength ! thou art able to keep us from fall-
ing, and to perform the good work begun in us
till the day of Jesus Christ. But, Lord, thou
knowest how weak and frail I am; how wavering
and bent to backsliding; how apt to decline and
fall, after all the great things which thou hast
done for my soul. O Lord of love, have pity on
my infirmities, and strengthen me in my weak-
ness. Preserve me, thou blessed guardian of thy
people, who keepest the feet of thy saints. O
preserve me from the danger of apostacy, and

234 FOR PERSEVERANCE.

keep me that I fall not away from any good
beginnings to which thy grace has ever brought
me. And put thy fear in my heart, that I may
not depart from thee. Make me so firmly thine,
that nothing which befalls me in the world may
ever separate betwixt thee and my soul, or turn
me from that way of life which is above to the
wise to depart from hell beneath. O let me not
be of the number of those that draw back unto
perdition, but of those who believe to the saving
of the sdul.

O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy ser-
vant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand ; go on,
I pray thee, to work for the glory of thy name,
and perfect that which concerns me. Thou hast
been my help ; leave me not nor forsake me, O
God of my salvation : but hold thou me up, and
I shall be safe, and shall have respect to thy
statutes continually. Help me, O my God; yea,
stablish, strengthen, settle me : and leave me
neither will nor power to resist the gracious de-
signs of thy love and mercy for the saving of my
soul. And as (by my frailty) I still too often
renew my sins, gracious Lord, (through thy
mercy) renew me to repentance : and though I
fall, let me not be utterly cast down; but uphold
me with thine almighty hand, and keep me by
thy power through faith unto salvation. O make
me faithful until death, that thou mayst give to
me the crown of life: make me so to endure unto
the end that I may be saved, and receive the

PEF.PARATION FOR DEATH. 235

glorious consummation of all my hopes, even that
blessed end of my faith, the eternal salvation of
my soul. Amen, Amen.

A PRAYER FOR PREPARATION AND
READINESS TO DIE.

LORD, what is our life but a vapour, that ap-
pears for a little time, and then vanisheth
away ! Even at the longest, how short ! and at
the strongest, how frail ! and when we think
ourselves most secure, yet we know not what" a
day may bring forth, nor how soon thou mayst
come to call us to our last account. Quickly shall
we be as water spilt on the ground, that cannot
be gathered up again; quickly snatched away
from hence, and our place here shall know us no
more for ever. Our days, one after another, are
spent apace : and we know not how near to us is
our last day, when our bodies shall be laid in the
grave, and our souls be called to appear at the
tribunal of God, to receive their eternal doom.
Yet how have I lived in this world, as if I
should never leave it; how unmindful of my
latter end ! how improvident of my time ! how
careless of my soul ! how negligent in my pre-
paration for my everlasting condition ! so that
thou mayst justly bring my last hour as a snare
upon me, to surprise me in my sins, and to cut
me off in my iniquities. But, O Father of mer-

! — —

23G PREPARATION FOR DEATH.

cies, remember not my sins against me ; but re-
member thy own tender mercies and thy loving-
kindnesses, which have been ever of old. O
remember how short my time is ; and spare me,
that I may recover my strength before I go hence
and be no more seen. Make me so wise as to
consider my latter end: and teach me so to num-
ber my days that I may apply my heart to true
wisdom. Lord, what have I to do in this world,
but to make ready for the world to come ! O
that I may be mindful of it, and be careful to
finish my work before I finish my course !

In the days of my health and prosperity, O
that I may remember and provide for the time of
trouble, and sickness, and death, when the world's
enjoyments will shrink away from me, and prove
utterly unable to support and comfort me. Let
me never allow myself in any course of living
wherein I would be loath or afraid to die. But
let me see my corruptions mortified and subdued,
that they may never rise up in judgment against
me. Enable me so to die unto sin daily that I
may not die for sin eternally. Instruct me_, good
Lord, and assist me in my preparation for a dying
hour: that I may not then be fearfully surprised;
but may meet it with comfort and composure.
Quicken me to a serious concern about that great
work -, and help me to perform it acceptably and
with good success. O that I may be fitted for
heaven ere I leave this earth, and may have peace
with God through Jesus Christ, before I depart

THE AUTHOR'S PRAYER FOR HIMSELF. 237

lience into that state in which I must abide for
ever ! O my Lord, make me so ready to meet
thee at thy coming, that thine appearance may
be the matter of my hopes, and desires, and joy-
ful expectations : that I may look and long for
that blessed time when thou wilt put an everlast-
ing period to all my troubles and temptations,
and exchange my present state of infirmity and
sin for a state of endless happiness and glory. O
thou who art my life and my strength, help me
so to live as, at the hour of death, I shall wish I
had lived; and so to make ready for death all my
days that, at my last day, I may have nothing to
do but to die, and cheerfully to resign my spirit
into thy gracious hands. O my Father, hear and
answer my humble petitions ; and let me find a
merciful admission to thy favour and thy king-
dom, for the sake of my only Saviour Jesus
Christ. Amen.

THE AUTHOR'S PRAYER FOR HIMSELF

AS A MINISTER.

0 BLESSED Jesus, my Lord and my God,
what high honour hast thou done me in
calling me to the office which thou wast pleased
to take upon thyself ! who earnest not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to preach
the gospel of the kingdom, and teach the way of
salvation. All glory be to thee, who hast been

238 PRAYER FOR A MINISTER.

pleased to dignify me with so high an office. But
as thou thyself (the head of the corner) art to
some a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence ;
so thy messengers are to some indeed a savour of
life unto life, but to others a savour of death unto
death. And if thy wise and holy servant asked,
Who is sufficient for these things? well may I (a
weak and sinful creature) tremble, lest those
amongst whom I minister should perish through
my insufficiency or neglect, and their blood be
required at my hands : yea, well may I fear lest
when I have shown others the way to heaven, I
myself should be shut out. But, O Lord, my
life, my strength, and my Redeemer, thou hast
appointed me to this station : to thee, therefore,
do I look to qualify me for it. O thou that or-
dainest strength out of the mouths of babes and
sucklings, magnify thy power in my weakness,
that I may do all things as I ought, throijgh
Christ strengthening me. O let me learn Trom
thee what I shall teach concerning thee. Open
my understanding, O Lord, that I may under-
stand the scriptures ; and enable me rightly to
divide the word of truth, and (by sound doctrine)
both to exhort and convince the gainsay ers. O put
such thoughts into my mind, and such words into
my mouth, that out of the abundance of my heart
my mouth may speak, to the glory of thy name,
and to the edification of those that hear me. O
make me wise to win souls ; and watchful over
them, as one that must give an account of them

PRAYER FOR A MINISTER. 239

not entangling myself with the affairs of this life,
but waiting on my ministry; taking heed to my-
self and to my doctrine, studying to show myself
approved unto God, and thoroughly furnished to
every good work. Give me skill and conduct
prudently to steer my course through all diffi-
culties in my way, and give me patience and
courage to withstand all assaults and opposition
which I may have to encounter. O my Lord ! be
with me, and guide and help me, and strengthen
and succour me, now and always, in the great
work lying upon me. Open to me a door of
utterance, that I may speak thy word as I ought
to speak : and make me faithful, and diligent,
and successful in my sacred calling ; doing thy
work as a workman that needs not to be ashamed;
not preaching myself, but Christ Jesus the Lord;
nor seeking the praise of men, but the honour of
my God. Yea, make me an example of all the
holy duties which I inculcate on others ; that I
may not lay upon them burthens which I refuse
to bear myself ; but may go before them in the
ways which they are to follow; holding forth the
word of life in my conversation, as well as in my
doctrine. Let me shine with a convincing light
before them, and never lay a stumbling-block in
their way. Let me never make the heart of the
righteous sad, nor strengthen the hands of the
wicked, nor give just offence to any ; but let me
approve myself, as far as I am able, useful and
beneficial unto all ; keeping under my body, and

240 THE MAGISTRATE'S PRAYER.

bringing it into subjection : lest by any means,
when I have preached to others, I myself should
be a cast-away.

And, O thou that givest the increase,, command
a blessing (I pray thee) upon all my studies and
endeavours ; that I may not spend my strength
for nought, nor labour in vain ; but may make
full proof of my ministry, and be instrumental
(through thy grace) to convert sinners from the
error of their ways. Teach me also to build up
them that are in any measure sanctified ; that so
I may both save myself and them that hear me,
and when I have finished my course, may give an
account of my stewardship with joy, and not with
grief; and receive a crown of righteousness at thy
hands, not for my merits, but for thy mercies'
sake. Amen, Amen.

THE MAGISTRATE'S PRAYER.

OTHOU great and supreme Ruler of all the
world, by whom all the governors on earth
are set up to restrain the unruly and to favour
thy people! though thou needst not the services
of men or angels to assist thee, but canst imme-
diately (by thyself) do whatever thou pleasest in
heaven and in earth, with the least word of thy
mouth, or motion of thy will ! yet thou art pleased
to honour some of thy creatures as thy vicege-
rents, and to order and govern the sons of men by

MAGISTRATE'S PRAYER. 241

the mstrumentality of their fellow-worms, ex-
alting some chosen out of the people to preside
and rule over the rest. Me hast thou called,
Lord, to this honour*, and hast been pleased to set
me above the common lot of men as one of the
little representatives of thy blessed self. O King
of glory ! I will exalt thee, who hast vouchsafed
to raise me to this dignity. And as thou hast
made to differ from others in this, so make me to
excel others in every thing that is excellent and
praise- worthy. O that I may represent not only
thy power and majesty, but thy wisdom and ho-
liness, thy truth and goodness, thy justice and
mercy ! O that I may retain a lowly mind in my
high station; and not forget or lift up myself,
nor insult over my poor inferiors; but like the
great God, who despises not any, may I conde-
scend to men of low estate, and without respect
of persons judge according to every man's work:
yea, may I delight to succour the injured and op-
pressed; to deliver the needy when he cries, the
poor also, and him that hath no helper.

O! may I rather fear my responsibility than
be proud of my office; and, in the fear of the
Lord, let me ever be careful to execute that which
is righteous in thy sight. Let me have grace to
discharge my trust with all faithfulness, as one
that must be judged myself, and find the same
measure which I mete to others. And, seeing
that the eyes of all are upon me, and that my
place exposes me more to common notice, and my
16

242 THE MAGISTRATE'S PKAYER.

example has a greater influence than that of pri-
vate men, O make me, Lord, the more vigilant
in the inspection of myself, and more careful in
ordering my conversation aright : that I may not
embolden others to commit such wickedness as I
ought to punish, nor lead the people into the sin
and ruin which I should help to save them from ;
nor be a scandal and grief of heart to the holy
- followers of Jesus, whom I am set up to patronise
and comfort. But let my conversation be such
as shall put to confusion the dissolute and aban-
doned, while my justice strikes terror into them.
O make me a hearty lover of all good men, and
let me honour them who fear the Lord. Make
me ever ready and forward to defend and coun-
tenance and encourage the generation of thy chil-
dren, who live godly in Christ Jesus. And let
me with courage exert my authority in a zealous
vindication of thine honour ; and in averting thy
rights, and promoting the growth and advance-
ment of thy true and holy religion. O that the
glory of thy name, and the interests of thy king-
dom, and the welfare of thy church, may be ever
near my heart ; that above all things I may seek
the things of Jesus Christ, and truly and indif-
ferently minister justice to the punishment of
wickedness and vice, and to the maintenance of
true religion and virtue. And whatever power
and interest I have in the world, O may I so lay
it out for the service of thy holy truth, and the
enlargement of the kingdom of thy dear Son,

THE HUSBAND'S PRAYER. 243

that, after my advancement here,, I may not be
thrown down hereafter, nor receive the doom of
an unfaithful servant for betraying my trust and
abusing my authority. But let me appear with
comfort and joy before my Judge in that great
and solemn day, having a testimony from him
that I did not hide my talent in a napkin, but
improved it to his glory. And may I now be so
jealous for thy cause, so careful of thine interests,
and so studious of the welfare of thy people, that,
at the last, I may be raised up with them to that
highest of all bliss and glory which shall endure
for evermore. Amen.

THE HUSBAND'S PRAYER.

ACCEPT my humble thanks, O Lord my
God, who hast provided a help-meet for
me, to be my partner in the nearest of all rela-
tions. O teach and enable me in all things to
demean myself towards her as it becomes me in
this station. May I be enabled to cherish her as
my own flesh. Let me never on any account de-
spise her, or be bitter against her; but may. I
bear with her infirmities, and forbear her in love
and all gentleness. Nor let me insult over her
as an inferior, but mildly use my authority in
treating her as my dear yoke-fellow and com-
panion. Let me not be rigid in opposing her, but
ready to comply with her in all her reasonable

244 THE HUSBAND'S PRAYER.

desires and expectations. O make me meek and
patient, faithful and kind, respectful and tender
in all my conduct towards her : and may I show
myself on all occasions well-pleased and satisfied
with her, that she may find comfort in fellowship
with me, and never have reason to regret that she
has forsaken all others for my sake. O blessed
Lord, espouse my dear friend to thyself in loving-
kindness, and faithfulness, and tender mercies.
Bless her and love her, and make her lovely in
thy sight and in the eyes of all. Especially make
her like the king's daughter, all glorious within :
that she may not only appear to advantage in this
world, but be blessed for ever in the world to
come. And grant, O Lord our God, that we may
be lovers of one another's souls, and promoters of
each other's salvation; so that after a short sea-
son of fellowship here, we may meet again with
rejoicing there, where we shall never part, even
in that fulness of joy which is in thy presence;
where, though there be no marrying nor giving
in marriage, yet is there greater festivity and
gladness than in any day of espousals, and where
those who are united together in thy fear and
love shall be blessed together in everlasting fel-
lowship with thee, and with thy dear Son Jesus
Christ. Amen.

THE WIFE'S PRAYER. 245

THE WIFE'S PRAYER.

OMY God, thou hast called me to this state
of life; and it is the disposal of thy provi-
dence that I should be joined in wedlock with
thy servant. I bless thee, Lord, that thou hast
dealt well with me, and provided graciously for
me. O continue thy goodness to me, in giving
me knowledge and grace to demean myself aright
in this relation; that I may honour and obey the
Lord in reverencing and obeying my husband.
Enable me to submit cheerfully to him in all
things not forbidden by thee ; and to speak of
him, and to him, with such words as shall mark
the high esteem and fervent love of my heart to-
wards him. Enable me so to demean myself on
all occasions, as to give him satisfaction; that so
his love towards me may be confirmed, and our
mutual happiness increased. If at any time oc-
casions of offence arise, teach me with silence, or
with soft obliging words, to quench the flames,
and to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds
of peace. O give me that ornament of a meek
and quiet spirit, which in thy sight is of great
price. Make me humble and modest, discreet
and considerate, careiul and diligent, faithful and
constant, mild and patient: remembering not
only the duties and comforts, but also the temp-
tations and crosses, of the married state; and
taking the worse with the better, as a part of my

246 THE WIDOW'S PRAYER.

portion; showing myself herein a follower of wise
and godly matrons. Bless my dear partner, O
Lord, with the best of thy blessings : and love
him, and keep him in thy continual care, till thou
bring him to thy heavenly kingdom. O bind us
both in faithfulness unto thee, as well as to one
another. And as we are one flesh, so make us of
one heart, and of one soul; that nothing but
death may ever make a separation between us.
And let our union be cemented, not merely by the
considerations of honour and interest, but chiefly
by an ardent longing for each other's spiritual and
eternal welfare: that so we may admire, and
love, and serve thee together in this world, and
glorify thee together in the world to come., through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE WIDOW'S PRAYER.

0 EVER-LIVING and all-disposing God!
thou hast taken from me the friend of my
bosom, that was even as my own soul ; and by
the want, hast now taught me the worth, of that
blessing which I once enjoyed. I submit to thy
righteous dispensations ; and notwithstanding thy
hand is heavy upon me, I confess that thou hast
chastised me far less than my iniquities have de-
served. I lament that I have provoked thee to
anger : but, whatever has been the cause of thy
judgments, deliver me from it, I most humbly

THE WIDOW'S PRAYER. 247

beseech thee. Whereinsoever I have failed,, either
towards thee, or towards my dear partner, O for-
give it for thy mercy's sake in Christ Jesus. I
bless thee for having brought me into an union
with him. He was thy gift ; and it was thy
goodness that I enjoyed, and thy help and com-
fort that I found, in him. And now thou canst
supply to me, by thyself, what I received from
thee by his hands. Thou art still the same foun-
tain of goodness, whatever means of conveyance
thou cuttest off from us. O pity me, Lord, un-
der the breach which thou hast been pleased to
make upon me ; and support, me in the dejection
of my heart; and guide and comfort me in all
the perplexity of my thoughts. Withdraw not
thou thyself from me, O my God, now that
trouble is upon me ; but make use of this bitter
dispensation as the means of bringing me nearer
to thyself, and of raising this heart of mine from
the present world, to that better place, where I
hope my dear friend is now in thine immediate
presence. And now that I am a widow indeed,
and desolate, enable me to trust in thee, my God,
and to continue in supplications and prayers night
and day. O thou that hast a peculiar care, and
tender regard for the widows, be pleased to espouse
my cause, and direct my path, and show me what
I have to do, and fit me for every duty now in-
cumbent upon me. O let my Maker be my hus-
band, to teach and help, to defend and comfort
me, to deal graciously with rne, and to be all in

248 THE ORPHAN'S PRAYER.

all to me. And bring me safe, O my God,
through this vale of misery, to the blessed king-
dom of thy glory ; for the sake of thy beloved
Son, my only Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

ORPHAN'S PRAYER

OLORD my God ! thou art he that took m3
out of my mother's womb : and art pleased
to style thyself, in a peculiar manner, the father
of the fatherless. Now that I am left unto thee,
mine eyes are upon thee, O my father, and I de-
sire to pour out my soul before thee, and to en-
treat thy gracious favour. Have compassion on
me, and leave me not desolate. Expose me not
helpless and unprotected to the wants and dan-
gers of this wicked world: but now that my
father and mother have forsaken me, O Lord, do
thou take me up ; and be a father (and the best
of fathers) to me, and still a gracious provider for
me. Guide me, O my heavenly Father, and di-
rect my friends also, who are concerned in the
disposing of me and my affairs. O be thou
pleased to choose my inheritance for me; and
order all that concerns me, for the promoting of
thy glory, and the advancing of my present and
everlasting happiness. Direct my designs, that
they may be agreeable to thy blessed will ; and
bless and prosper my endeavours, that they may
succeed according to my desire, and furnish me

THE AGED'S PRAYER. 24.9

with continual occasions of praise and thanksgiv-
ing. My Lord,, I commit myself to thee : O be
thou my God and guide, even unto death. Be
ever watchful over me for good, and preserve and
keep me, and conduct and lead me, in all the va-
riety of estates and affairs of this life, till thou
hast brought me to inherit the blessed portion of
thy children, in that most sweet and glorious life,
which shall never fail. Grant this, O merciful
Father, for thy dear Son's sake, my only Saviour,
Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE AGED'S PRAYER.

OLORD of my life : thou art my God from
the womb; my hope and trust from my
youth. By thee I was brought into the world ;
and upon thee have I lived all my days. O with
what patience and long-suffering hast thou en-
dured me ! and with what loving-kindness and

25

tender mercies hast thou still prevented and fol-
lowed me ! how many have I seen snatched out
of this life (as I fear) miserably unprovided for
their death ; whereas thou prolongest my days,
and, together with more days, still addest new
mercies to my life. O that the lengthening of
my days may be a real benefit ; and that, as my
life is prolonged, so the whole work which God
has given me to do, may be finished ! may I re-
deem the time, and improve all the opportunities

250 THE AGED'S PRAYER,

and means of grace which thou art pleased to put
into my hands, for the everlasting advantage of
my soul ! And let my age be the good old age ;
und the remaining time of my sojourning here, be
the best of all niy time.

Though my sight is dim to the world, let my
eyes be ever towards the Lord, and open to see
the things belonging to my peace. Though my
ears are dull of hearing, let my heart be attentive
to thy calls, and let me hear thy voice, while it is
called to-day. Though I cannot (as formerly)
relish the pleasures of meat and drink, yet let me
taste the goodness of the Lord, and savour the
things of the Spirit of God, and hunger and thirst
after righteousness, and long for those pleasures
which are at thy right hand for evermore. And
though my limbs are weak, and my strength will
not serve me to travel abroad as I have done; yet
make mo strong in the Lord, to do thy work, and
to walk in thy ways, and to perform my great
journey homeward, to my house eternal in the
heavens. And, seeing there is no man that liveth
and shall not see death, and the longer I have
escaped it, the nearer I am now to it, and shall
one day certainly fall by it, and must every day
reckon upon it, and know not but that my soul
may this night be required of me, O let not my
length of days tempt me to forget their end, or to
put my last day far from me : but let me keep it
ever in my prospect, as drawing nigh to me ; that
1 may order all my concerns, not only like a

THE CHILD'S PRAYER. 251

stranger and sojourner, but as a dying man, who
is ready to drop into the grave, and as waiting,
watching, and preparing for the coming of his
Lord. O that at thy coming, thou mayst find
me so doing !

And, because I am old in sins, as well as in
years; weighed down with iniquity, as well as
with age ; O my gracious Lord, give me that
godly sorrow for my sins, which shall work re-
pentance not to be repented of. Thou hast saved
many old sinners ; O God, be so merciful to me
a sinner. Put all my sins to the account of thy
dear Son : and wash me thoroughly from them
in the fountain of his precious blood. Especially,
O merciful Lord, acquit and discharge me from
the sins that lie heaviest upon me, and that make
the thoughts of death and judgment most painful
to me. O give me, Lord, some token for good,
that I may have an evidence of my having found
mercy at thy hands, and that I may depart in
peace, and finish my course with joy ; and, in the
end of my life, be numbered among the redeemed
and blessed of the Lord, through the tender mer-
cies of my God, and through the all-sufficient
merits of my only Saviour Jesus Christ* Amen.

o

THE CHILD'S PRAYER.

MY God and Father, who hast made me,
have mercy upon me, and teach me to know

252 THE CHILD'S PRAYER.

thee: and incline my heart to love thee; and en-
able me in all my life to do thy will, as I ought
to do. Thou hast formed me for thyself; and in
the church I have been devoted, and offered up
unto thee, as thy child. O thou adorable Saviour,
who hast ordered children to be brought unto
thee, and hast declared, that of such is the king-
dom of heaven, give me thy grace, that I may
understand and seek after God; yea, that I may
seek thee early, and with my whole heart. Dis-
pose me to remember thee, my Creator and Re-
deemer, in the days of my youth, and to take
upon me now thy light and easy yoke; that thou
mayst not be unmindful of me in the time of age,
or leave me comfortless in my latter days. As I
grow in years and stature, so help me, Lord, to
grow in wisdom and grace, and in favour with
God and men. O keep me from the evil of this
world; and carry me safely through it to thy
heavenly kingdom. Make me obedient to my
parents and teachers; and lowly and respectful
unto all. And bless to me all the means that are
used for my instruction: teach me to profit by
them, and to acquire such learning, as shall
qualify me to discharge with advantage the duties
of any station which I shall hereafter be called to
fill. O my heavenly Father! take care of me,
and provide for me; and so dispose of me in the
world, that I may be useful in my generation,
and a blessing to the place where thy providence
shall fix my abode. Preserve me, O my Lord,

FOR THE HIGH AND GREAT. 253

from the infection of bad examples : let me never
be led away and enticed to follow the despisers
of thy laws; but make me a lover and follower of
sucn as are truly good, and a pattern to others of
all that is lovely and of good report. O God,
thou knowest my foolishness, and seest how weak
I am : O look not upon my follies, nor be extreme
to mark what is done amiss; but have pity on
my infirmities, and forgive my sins. Out of the
mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained
strength : O magnify thy power in my weakness,
and make me a profitable member of society, and
an instrument to promote thy glory. Leave me
not, O Lord, to myself, or to my own foolish
counsels; but let me be taught of God how to
behave myself, and what to do. And take thou
the gracious charge and government of me ; and
keep my heart ever in thy fear and love; and
direct all my ways to please thee, my God, through
Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PEAYEE TO BE USED BY THE EICH
AND GEEAT.

OLORD, the gracious giver of all our good
things ! thou hast opened thine hand to me
in a bountiful manner, and given me all things
plenteously to enjoy : thou hast made me to be
full and to abound, whilst multitudes around me
are poor and indigent. O that this plenty, which

254 FOR THE RICH AND GREAT.

I have for rny body, may not prove a snare to my
soul! Let me never trust in uncertain riches,
nor rest in thy gifts, forgetful of the giver.
Better were it that I had been altogether desti-
tute of this world's good, than that I should
make it my idol, or be satisfied with it as my
only portion. It is indeed too often found, that
the prosperity of fools destroys them. O merci-
ful God, grant that this fatal consequence may
not ever arise from the wealth bestowed on me!
J ?t me never be suffered to abiue thy bounties,
or to make them an occasion of sinning against
thee. I ain thy steward, O Lord; grant, I be-
seech thee, that I may be found faithful in what
is committed to my trust: that I may honour
thee with my substance, and improve my talents
agreeably to thy mind and will. O that with
the fulness put into my hands, leanness may not
be sent into my soul! That I may not wax
proud and wanton, and indifferent about a better
world, when I am so well provided for in this!
O let not my riches choke thy grace, or damp my
zeal in thy service. But the more thou hast
done for me, O my God, make me the more care-
ful to approve myself to thee, more anxious to
please thee, more fearful to offend thee. And,
seeing that thou hast pronounced it so hard for
the rich to enter into thy kingdom, O keep me
continually vigilant to escape the temptations and
dangers to which I am exposed.

Suffer me not, O my God, to trust in uncer-

FOR THE RICH AND GREAT. 255

tain riches, or to value myself upon my worldly
possessions : but make me to covet earnestly the
true riches, even the treasures of thy heavenly
grace and love. Enable me to count all things
but loss and dung, that I may win Christ, and
be rich in good works, and abound in the fruits
of righteousness. As thou fillest me with thy
good things, so fill my heart with thy love and
grace, that I may use every gift aright to thy
glory. O let me not despise any above whom
thy distinguished kindness has raised me. But
give me a heart to condescend to them of low
estate; and, amidst all my plenty, let me be
clothed with humility. Make me forward to all
the offices of charity; ready to communicate,
willing to distribute; laying up in store a good
foundation against the time to come, that I may
lay hold on eternal life. Let it be my delight to
make to myself friends with the unrighteous
mammon, that, when I fail, they may receive me
into everlasting habitations. Whatsoever I have
in the world, O that I may have it sanctified to
me by the word of God, and prayer! and may be
enabled, by a right use and conscientious improve-
ment of it, to honour thy name, from whom every
good and perfect gift proceeds! Let me so use
the world, as not to abuse it. Let me rather be
deprived of all that I possess, than be retarded by
it in my spiritual progress. Let me rather cast
off the thick clay, with which my feet are loaded,
than not run ray race with patience, and so run

256 FOR THE POOR AND

as to obtain the treasures which are eternal in the
heavens.

A PRAYER TO BE USED BY SUCH AS ARU
POOR AND LOW IN THE WORLD.

OLORD, the great disposer of all our estates
and concerns ! thy providence appoints to
all their several stations ; and it is thy will that
there should be poor and low, as well as rich and
high, in the world. One thing is needful ; and
it is not the wealth of this world, but the riches
of thy grace, that will do us good, and make us
happy. If thou shower not down plenty upon
me, yet, Lord, give me what is needful and con-
venient for me. And, however thou dealest with
me as to the things of this life, O deny me not
thy saving grace, which is the portion of thy
chosen, and better than thousands of gold and
silver. Teach me, O my God, to suffer need,
without repining at my lot, or coveting what I
do not possess, or envying those who are in better
circumstances than myself. O make me contented
with my portion, and not grieved on account of
my meanness and obscurity in the world, but de-
sirous only to be known in heaven, and to be ac-
cepted of my God in Christ Jesus. Let me never
stretch out my hand to iniquity; nor seek to help
myself, by any dishonest ways: but choose rather
to be poor than wicked ; and to want my daily

FOR THE POOR AND LOW. 257

bread, rather than be destitute of thy heavenly
grace. Enable me to cast all my care upon thee,
and to trust in thee for all needful provision.
Let me labour, working with my hands the thing
which is good, that I may have sufficient for my
necessities : and may thy blessing succeed and
prosper all my honest designs and poor en-
deavours.

And the less I have of this world, O let me be
more concerned to labour for a better ! And as
I have no inheritance upon earth, make me de-
termined, through thy grace, to be a partaker of
the inheritance of thy saints in light. Let me
not lose both worlds ; nor pass from a destitute
condition here to want even a drop of water in
the eternal world ; but let me have treasure in
heaven, even thy blessed self, O Lord, to be my
portion for ever. Let me be found among those
poor of this world, whom thou hast chosen to be
rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which thou
hast promised to them that love thee.

And blessed be thy name, O righteous God,
that with thee there is no respect of persons, but
the poor are as acceptable to thee as the rich :
yea, thou hast dealt exceedingly graciously with
me, in that thou hast put out of my way many of
the snares and temptations that hinder others.
The riches of the opulent render it extremely
difficult for them to enter into thy kingdom; but
my poverty lays no obstacle in my way to the
obtaining of thy glory. If only I am poor in
17

258 THE MASTER'S PRAYER.

spirit, as well as low in the world, I have tliy
promise that the kingdom of heaven shall be
mine. My God ! grant me that poverty of spirit,
with all other things that accompany salvation.
And then, however destitute I am in this life,
thy will be done : though I have nothing to de-
pend upon in the world, yet I will rejoice in the
Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Having thee for my God, I can want nothing
that is good. O Lord, give me thyself, and then
I have all : and for that best of gifts, I will bless
thy name for evermore. Amen.

A PKAYER FOR THE MASTER OF A FAMILY.

OMOST high God, the great Lord of all,
whose providence disposes the several ranks
of men in the world, and whose word instructs
masters, as well as servants, how to demean them-
selves in their respective places., thou hast made
me the head of this house. O that I may walk
in it with an upright heart, and not shelter any
evil thing under my roof ! may I ever counte-
nance the pious, and correct the vicious, and yield
myself a pattern of all that is virtuous and praise-
worthy : and let me so command my children and
my household after me, that they also may keep
the way of the Lord. Let this be my determi-
nation, through grace, that, as for me and my
ej we will serve the Lord. O that there may

THE MASTER'S PRAYER. 259

not be a hypocrite, or an unrenewed profane
person amongst us ! let not me, who am called a
master, myself be a servant of sin: let me not be
enslaved by my own passions and lusts; but have
the dominion over myself; and keep my eyes ever
waiting upon the Lord my God. even as the eyes
of servants are to the hands of their masters.

O that my wife may be the spouse of Christ;
my children the children of God ; my servants
the servants of the Lord; and all the members of
my family the true members of thy church, and
the constant followers of all that is laudable and
good. Let me not carry myself with rigour
amongst them, nor despise the cause even of my
servants ; but with patience and candour attend
to their complaints, and give unto them that
which is just and equal ; knowing that I also have
a Master in heaven. Let me not insult over any
that are under the yoke : nor be severe and cruel
to them ; nor oppress or defraud them in their
wages ; nor withhold any rewards or encourage-
ments which they may justly expect from me.
But let my dealings with them be upright and
candid, merciful and kind. Let me take care of
their bodies and their souls, and of all that con-
cerns them, as their benign patron and their
faithful friend. Let me ever treat them with all
due regard, as my brethren and fellow-servants
before God, with whom is no respect of persons.
O give me, Lord, an understanding heart, and
such a spirit of wisdom, that I may go in and

2 GO THE SERVANT'S PRAYER.

out before my people, as one that is taught of
God ; and in whatsoever I enjoin to them, let me
have respect to thy will, and seek the advance-
ment of thy glory.

Bless my house, O Lord, and preserve it from
all diseases and from all dangers. Keep it also
from vice and ungodliness; and make it a nursery
of virtue and piety, and of all that is exemplary and
of good report. Direct, O God. and help every
every one of us in the discharge of our respective
duties. Enable us to employ ourselves as we
ought, and with quietness do our own business,
never forgetting the great work for which we
were sent into the world. O keep us evermore
in thy fear and love : and enable us not only to
begin well, but to hold on our way even to the
end ; that we may meet again around thy throne,
and be partakers together of thy heavenly king-
dom, through Jesus Christ, our common Lord
and Saviour. A men.

THE SERVANT'S PRAYER.

OGOD, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth ! it is the appointment of thy good
providence, that there should be various ranks
and degrees of men, and that I should be placed
in the station where I now am. Wherefore, I
submit, Lord, to thy most wise and gracious dis-
posal, and desire (with content and thankfulness)

THE SERVANT'S PRAYER. 261

to accept of my portion, how low soever in the
world. If my blessed Redeemer, who is Lord of
all, would take upon him the form of a servant,
and condescend even to the meanest offices for
the service of our souls, O why should it be
grievous to me to be a servant under the yoke ?
In serving man as I ought, I do also serve the
Lord : and though bound to man, I may be the
Lord's freeman : yea, in faithfully discharging
the duties of my place, I shall be as acceptable
to my God as any that enjoy the highest station.
I leave it to thee, therefore, O Lord of all, to
choose my inheritance for me. Only I beg at thy
hands that my lot may fall where my soul may
prosper, though my work be less easy, my provi-
sion less delicate, my accommodation less con-
venient. If my soul do well, I shall be for ever
happy : if my heart be right with God, I shall be
blessed with his countenance and love : and if I
be found in the way of righteousness, I shall be
exalted in due time, however abased at present.
O my supreme Lord and Master, who art King
of kings, and Lord of lords, let me prefer thy
favour, (wherein is life,) and thy loving-kindness,
(which is better than life itself,) to all the ease, or
profit, or honour, that the world can give me: and
let it be more my concern to glorify thee by a quiet,
faithful, and diligent discharge of the duties of
my place, than to serve myself by a restless desire
of continually advancing my temporal interests.
O let me not be the servant of sin ; but let me

2G2 . THE SERVANT'S PRAYER.

enjoy the blessed liberty wherewith Christ has
made us free: even liberty from sinful bondage,
and liberty to follow my Lord fully, and to run
the way of thy commandments with an enlarged
heart. And, Lord, be thou pleased to fit me for
the service to which I am called ; that I may
perform it to the glory of thy name, to the satis-
faction and comfort of those whom I serve, and to
my own everlasting advantage. O make me true
and faithful, careful and diligent, humble and
obedient, meek and patient, kind and peaceable.
Enable me to do the business of my place, not
with eye-service as a man-pleaser, but in single-
ness of heart, as unto God. Let me not be cross
in my temper, or froward in my conduct, but
ready on all occasions to bear with others and
deny myself. Let me not be hasty to answer
again, and thereby to stir up wrath ; but enable
me, with silence and submission, to follow the
things that make for peace. Let me never lower
my master's character, in order to set off my own;
or consult my own gain or pleasure at the expense
of his interests: but enable me in all things to
consult his will and pleasure, his credit and in-
terest, as far as will consist with my duty to
thee. Let it be my ambition to act worthy of m)
God unto all pleasing, and to be found faithful in
the sight of him who searcheth the heart, and
trieth the reins. Give me thy grace, O most
merciful God and Father, that I may so acquit
myself towards my earthly master, as to have my

THE SOLDIER'S PRAYER. 263

person and services accepted of thee through the
mediation of thy beloved Son, my blessed Saviour
and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

0?HE SOLDIER'S PRAYEE.

OLORD God of hosts! who hast all the crea-
tures, in heaven and in earth, ever ready to
fight thy battles, and to execute thy commands !
thou didst not sow any seeds of enmity in oui
nature ; but didst create man in thine own image,
endued with all the principles of love, and dispo-
sitions to peace. It is from our lusts alone, the
wars and fightings have come amongst us. We
first, by transgression, made ourselves enemies to
thee; and have therefore been justly left by thee
to cherish enmity against our fellow- creatures,
and to bite and devour one another. O my God,
I lament the sad necessity that exists for learn-
ing and exercising the art of war. But, now that
I am in a line which binds me to the performance
of military duties, instruct me, O Lord, and
enable me to behave myself as a truly Christian
soldier ought to do. Above all things incline
me, O Lord, to enlist under thy banners, and
enable me to become a good soldier of Jesus
Christ. Let me war a good warfare, and never
cease to fight against those enemies that war
against my soul. And that I may have peace
with thee my God, let me have no peace with

2G4 THE SOLDIER'S PRAYER.

my sins ; nor ever take part with those that rebel
against thee. Let me never be carried away by
the influence of ungodly examples, or be led to
commit any wickedness, against which thou, O
God, hast declared thy wrath from heaven. • O
grant that I may never strive with my Maker;
nor allow myself in such a habit of mind, and
course of life, as are enmity against God; but let
me dread more to fall into thy hands, than into
the hands of those who can only kill the body ;
and ever show myself the more zealous for thee,
the more I see others set themselves against thee.
O Lord most high! make me valiant for thy
cause as well as for my queen and country. And
preserve me, O my God, from the profaneness
and blasphemy, the lewdness and debauchery, the
rudeness and violence that are so common amongst
men of my profession: let me not be infected
with their contagion; but preserve my integrity,
amidst all the temptations wherewith I am sur-
rounded.

Though the sword is in my hand, let the peace
of God rule in my heart. And though I am a
soldier, let me not be a man of blood, delighting
in war, but a ready servant of my country, a
faithful instrument for our common defence and
safety, and a dutiful subject to the powers or-
dained of God, for the Lord's sake. O my
Strength and my Redeemer, strengthen my heart
and hands for the service to which I am called.
And make me successful and victorious, through

THE SOLDIER'S PRAYER. 2G5

tliy blessing arid power from on high. It is thou,
Lord, only, that makest us to dwell in safety: O
cover my head in the day of battle : and in all
times of danger, be thou my shield and buckler.
Keep me, if it may please thee, from the calami-
ties to which I am exposed, or over-rule them for
my spiritual and eternal good; that wounds in
my body may be the health of my soul, and tem-
poral death prove to me the gate of everlasting
life. And seeing that I go with my life in my
hands, and am more exposed than other men to
dangers and death, O make me more careful of
my soul, more mindful of my latter end, and
more diligent to maintain a constant readiness to
meet my God. And whether I prosper or mis-
carry in the attempts and enterprises wherein I
am now concerned, O let my soul be ever precious
in thy sight, and safe in thy hands. Help me, O
thou., my Leader and Commander, thou great
Captain of my salvation, so to live that I may
find it the greatest gain to die : and let me go on
(as Christ's faithful soldier) so conquering and to
conquer, that, having overcome all the enemies of
my soul, I may sit down in thy kingdom, and
participate thy glory, and triumph in thy praise
for ever and ever. Amen.

266 THE SAILOR'S PRAYER.

THE SAILOR'S PRAYER.

A LMIGHTY and ever-blessed God, whose
J.JL eyes are in every place beholding the evil
and the good; look down, I beseech thee, on thine
unworthy servant that desires now to obtain
mercy at thy hands. Thou seest that my lot is
cast in a situation where my temptations are
manifold, and my advantages for religious im-
provement but few. Alas ! O Lord, how baneful
have I found the influence of evil company ; and
how often have I myself proved a snare to my
companions! but pardon, I pray thee, all the
guilt which I have contracted; and lay not to my
charge my multiplied iniquities. Wash me in
the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness;
and let the blood of Christ, which cleanseth from
all sin, purge my conscience from dead works to
serve the living God.

Let me not, O Lord, be any longer regardless
of my eternal interests. Surely in a peculiar
manner it becomes me to stand ready for deatli
and judgment. Exposed as I am to continual
dangers, and not knowing 'what an hour may
bring forth, O let me be mindful of ,my latter end;
and live every day, as if I knew that it would be
my last. And if, by reason of stormy winds and
tempests, I be lifted up to the heavens, and go
down again into the depths, and the hearts of all
around me melt because of their trouble, let me

THE SAILOR'S PRAYER. 2C7

know in whom I have believed, and be enabled
with composure to commit my soul into thy hands:
let me have the comfort of knowing that thou art
reconciled to me in the Son of thy love, and that
death will be to me a door of entrance into thy
heavenly kingdom.

Let me not be afraid to confess thee before
men, or be ashamed of having it known that I
am thy servant. Let me rather be emboldened
to let my light shine before men, and to be a
witness for thee amongst those with whom I live.
Let me be deeply grieved at all the evil which I
behold, and labour to the utmost of my power to
turn my fellow-sinners from the error of their
ways.

Blessed God! infinite are my obligations to
thee for the many kind interpositions of thy pro-
vidence which I have experienced, and for that
measure of grace which, of thine own love and
mercy, thou hast seen fit to bestow upon me. O
that thou wouldst fill my heart with a grateful
sense of thy mercies, and dispose me to render
unto thee according to the benefits conferred upon
me. Let me especially live nigh to thee in secret
prayer. Let me delight in reading thy blessed
word, and in meditating on the great things of
thy law. Make up to me the want of public in-
struction by the special assistance of thy good
Spirit. Open my understanding that I may
understand thy word; and incline my heart to
obey it with all cheerfulness. Enable me in the

2G8 FOR A CONDEMNED MALEFACTOR.

n ost unreserved manner to devote myself to thee,
and to glorify thee with my body and my spirit
which are thine.

This, O my God, I would regard as my chief
happiness on earth; and this I humbly ask at
thy hands, through the merits and mediation of
Jesus Christ, my blessed Lord and Saviour.
Amen.

THE CONDEMNED MALEFACTORS PRAYER.

OUT of the depths do 1 cry to thee, O Lord!
Lord, hear my voice : let thine ears be atten-
tive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, O
Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lo/d, who
should stand! But there is forgiveness with
thee, that thou mayst be feared. Therefore I
wait for the Lord; my soul does wait; and in
tliy word do I hope. Though my sins have
found me out, and brought me to shame, and
they are heinous beyond expression, and the
thought and remembrance of them fills me with
horror and confusion; yet I believe (Lord, help
my unbelief) they are not greater than can be
forgiven: they do not exceed the value of that
atonement which thine only dear Son has made,
or the merits of that perfect obedience which he
has rendered to thy holy law. No, Lord; neither
do they exceed thy boundless mercies, nor the
great and precious promises which thou hast
given us in the gospel of thy Son. Vile indeed,

FOE A CONDEMNED MALEFACTOR. 2G9

and inexpressibly wretched is my guilty soul:
but it is not past thy help and care, O Lord God
Almighty,, who, at the lowest, canst raise, and,
at the worst, art able to relieve us. Except we
repent, thou hast told us that we shall perish :
but upon our repentance, thou hast promised thy
gracious forgiveness. And though sin has abound-
ed, yet when we forsake our wicked ways and
thoughts, and return to the Lord our God, thou
hast promised to have mercy upon us, and abun-
dantly to pardon. It is thine own most true
and faithful word, O Lord, that whosoever be-
lieveth in Christ shall not perish, but have ever-
lasting life; and, that he who confesseth and
forsaketh his sins shall have mercy. Though
therefore I cannot find such mercy now at man's
tribunal, yet I may, and will, ask it of thee, the
Father of all mercies, who dost -not reject the cry
even of the vilest, in their distress, but remem-
ber est us in our lowest estate, and encourages t
us to trust in that mercy of thine which endureth
for ever. O thou that hast promised to forgive
every penitent sinner, make me, Lord, I beseech
thee, one of that number. O touch my heart
with true remorse, that it may melt and bleed
for my sins, and become such a broken, contrite
heart, as thou wilt not despise.

O that the distressing circumstances which I
am in, may be turned (through the riches of thy
grace) into a happy occasion of converting my
soul, and of furthering my everlasting salvation!

270 FOR A CONDEMNED MALEFACTOR.

This is a time of shame and sorrow with me ; but
help me, gracious God, so to repent and be con-
verted., that my sins may be blotted out, and that
a time of refreshing may come to me from the
presence of the Lord. For thy name's sake, O
Lord, pardon my sin, for it is great ; too great
for any but the God of infinite goodness and love,
to pardon. And, that thou mayst have the glory,
and my soul the blessed fruit of thy mercy, O
Lord, prepare me for it by such a deep and seri-
ous repentance as thy holy word requires, and
such as thy goodness in Christ Jesus will merci-
fully accept. What is past I cannot recall ; but
thou, Lord, canst remit it, and give me grace to
repent of it. O strike my rocky heart, that the
tears of penitence may flow down like a river; and
enable me so to humble myself for my sins, that
they may be blotted out from the book of thy
remembrance. O blot them out as a morning
cloud : blot them in the blood of thy beloved Son,
who came to seek and to save that which was
lost; and who suffered and died once, that wo
might not suffer and die eternally. Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin : wash me in that fountain that was
opened for sin and uncleanness, even in the
precious blood ef that Lamb of God, that was
slain to take away the sins of the world.

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto
death : O most gracious Lord ! grant that my
sorrow may be a godly sorrow. Let me not

FOR A CONDEMNED MALEFACTOIi. 271

merely sorrow for the bitter consequences of my
sin, but for my sin itself, and for all the offences
which I have ever committed against thy divine
Majesty. O blessed Jesus, who earnest to call
sinners to repentance, and thyself didst hang
upon the cross, and show compassion to the poor
malefactor, who suffered with thee, remember me
now in my last hours, and show mercy unto me
for thy own mercy's sake. O Son of David, have
mercy upon me. Both now and ever vouchsafe
to hear me, O Christ ; graciously hear me, O
Lord Christ. And let thy mercy be showed upon
me, as I do put my trust in thee. O glorify thy
mercy in my salvation, and not thy justice in my
destruction.

Though confusion is now my portion, yet help
me, Lord, to bear thine indignation, as it becomes
me ; and so to improve the humiliating circum-
stances into which my sins have brought me, that
I may not hereafter awake to shame and ever-
lasting contempt. And though I am now undei
the sentence of a temporal death ; yet spare my
soul, O most merciful Lord, and deliver me nol
into the bitter pains of eternal death. O that J
may have all my shame, and sorrow, and evil
things, in this life; and not be removed from
this dungeon to that infinitely more tremendous
prison, where I shall want even a drop of watei
to cool my tongue, and be confined in chains of
everlasting darkness to the judgment of the great
day. Be merciful unto me, O merciful Lord

272 FOR THE PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH.

God : and show forth in me all the wonders of
thy grace, and power, and mercy, to prepare ma
for, and support me under, the deserved punish-
ment, which I am about to suffer ; and to give
me hope in my death, (even in this infamous
death ;) and after death, a happy mansion (the
least and lowest mansion) in the house of my
God. I humbly ask this, for the sake of thine
own tender mercies, and for the infinite merits of
the great Redeemer of the world, my only Lord
and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen, Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE ENLARGEMENT AND
PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH.

OGOD of all grace, who hast called out of this
present evil world, a chosen generation, to
know thy will, to seek thy face, to follow thy
ways, and to inherit thy glory, pour out thy
blessings upon those who are yet in darkness and
the shadow of death : make bare thine arm and
exert thy power, that all the ends of the earth
may remember themselves, and turn to the Lord,
and that all flesh may see the salvation of God.
Call home to thee again thy once favoured people
the Jews ; and take the veil from their hearts,
that they may see and own their Messias. Let
that blood of Christ, which they so profanely im-
precated upon their own heads, cleanse them from
the guilt of shedding it : yea, let it cleanse them

FOR THE PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH. 273

from all their sins. Bring in, () God, the fulness
of the Gentiles : and give thy Son the heathen
for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the
earth for his possession. O give thy gospel a
free and effectual course throughout the world ;
let it be propagated where it has not yet reached;
and let the joyful sound be heard even where
Christ is not yet named. Give success to it,
where it shines already; let all who have received
it, sincerely obey it ; cause every one that names
the name of Christ, to depart from iniquity; and
grant that all who make a profession of godliness
may be constrained by the love of Christ to live
unto thee, and to adorn the doctrine of God our
Saviour in all things.

Convince and convert both the avowed enemies
of Christ, and also the enemies of his own house.
Beat down all antichristian powers, both in the
false church, where Christianity is so foully cor-
rupted ; and also beyond the borders of Christen-
dom, where it is openly opposed. Show unto all
of them the light of thy truth ; that they may
know it, as it is in Jesus: expel their prejudices,
together with their darkness; and bring them to
receive thy truth in the love of it, that they may
be saved. O that the true religion of our Lord
Jesus may prevail powerfully, and gain more
proselytes daily throughout the world. O that
Jerusalem may soon become the joy and praise of
the whole earth : and that we may see the good
of it all the days of our life ! O thou Father of
18

274 FOR THE REFORMED CHURCHES.

lights, grant that all errors in doctrine, and all
ungodliness in practije, may be more and more
exposed and suppressed, till they be utterly abol-
ished ! Let the wickedness of the wicked come
to an end ; but let truth and holiness increase in
credit and authority till they reign and flourish
even to the ends of the earth : grant this, we
most humbly beseech thee, through the abundant
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

A PKAYER FOR THE REFORMED CHURCHES
ABROAD.

BLESS, O Lord, in an especial manner, all
the churches that profess thy holy and eter-
nal truth. Protect them from the enemies that
have evil will at Sion : preserve them in the
faith ; and restore peace unto them, wherever
they be in trouble. And wherever they enjoy
peace, O cause them to know the day of their
visitation, and so to improve this mercy tl^nt they
may be edified and multiplied. Thou hast showed
thy people hard things! thou hast made them to
drink the wine of astonishment : O how long shall
thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture!
make them glad according to the time wherein
thou hast afflicted them, and wherein they have
suffered adversity. Lord, how long shall the
wicked triumph ! how long shall they utter and
speak hard things, and take crafty counsel against

FOR THE REFORMED CHURCHES. 275

thy people, and consult against thy hidden ones!
Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember
how the foolish man blasphemeth thee daily.
Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the
faithful fail from among the children of men. O
that thou wouldst arise and have mercy upon
Sion ; and that the time to favour her, the set
time, were come! Thou art our King, God;
command deliverances for Jacob. Arise for thy
servants' help ; and redeem them for thy mercy's
sake. Let not the rod of the wicked rest upon
the lot of the righteous : but give a check and
stop to the persecuting spirit, that breaks in pieces
thy people, O Lord, and afflicts thine heritage.
When their enemies come to eat them up, let
them stumble and fall ; and let thy people never
be ashamed. Yea, not only restrain the remain-
der of that wrath, but so turn it, (as thou didst
in the persecuting Saul,) that the enemies and
opposers of thy truth may become lovers and fol-
lowers of the same.

O hear the sighs, support the spirits, ana has-
ten the deliverance of those, who, for thy sake,
are killed all the day long, and counted as sheep
for the slaughter. Make thy face to shine upon
thy servants; and redeem Israel out of all his
troubles. Be thou, Lord, a refuge for the op-
pressed ; a refuge in times of trouble : and come
in to their succour; and make them a way to
escape out of the hands of such unreasonable men,
whose very mercies are cruel. O break thou the

27G FOE OUR CHur.cn

arm of the wicked and evil man : and judge tlie
oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more
oppress. Show thy marvellous loving-kindness,
thou that savest by thy right hand them that
trust in thee, from those that rise up against
them. When their power is gone, then manifest
thine own : and when there is none to help, then
let thine own arm bring salvation. Pity such as
are banished for righteousness* scike, and driven
to seek their bread in strange countries ; grant
them to find favour with those among whom they
are scattered : let thy fatherly care provide for
them ; and in thy good time, restore them to their
possessions, and to sure habitations, and to quiet
resting-places. Or, if thou seest not good to abate
their troubles on earth, enable them to glorify
thee in the fires, and, in due season, bring them
' forth, as gold purified from its dross. Fill them
even now with peace and joy in the Holy Ghost :
and lead them to seek more earnestly those hea-
venly mansions, where they shall not only rest
from their labours, but shall behold thy glory and
sing thy praise for evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR OUR CHURCH.

T) LESSED be thy name, O Lord our God, who
JL) hast called us to be thy people ; and caused
the day-spring from on high to visit us, and the
light of thy gospel to shine up^n us. Thou hast

FOR OUR CHURCH. 277

sent to us the word of salvation: and made thy
holy religion to be our birthright, and the pro-
fessed religion of our nation. Thou hast not been
deficient in kindness to us, O gracious Lord, but
O how grievously have we failed in our duty to
thee ! Great things hast thou done in our behalf :
but O how little have we done in thy service; and
how much against thy holy, good, and righteous
laws ! We have long experienced thy care and
kindness, as the vineyard of the Lord which thy
right hand hath planted : thou hast hedged us
about with thy providence; digged and pruned
us with thy judgments; watered and refreshed
us with thy mercies; and justly mightst thou ex-
pect to find in us fruits answerable to all thy
care. But alas! we have brought forth wild
grapes ; and have been overgrown with the briars
and thorns of contention. Our works have (too
often) been no better than the unfruitful works
of darkness. We confess, O Lord, that we have
walked unworthy of our holy vocation, and that
thou might &t justly take away the gospel of the
kingdom from us, and give it to another people,
that should bring forth fruits more worthy of it.
'But, O gracious, long-suffering God, who in
judgment hast ever remembered mercy towards
us ! enter not into judgment with us for our un-
mindfulness of thee : lay not to our charge the
numberless evils of which our own consciences
accuse us ; our barrenness under all the means of
grace, our ingratitude for thy most precious bene-

278 FOR OUR CHURCH.

fits, and our abuses of the innumerable favours
which we so long have enjoyed. Remember not
our sins against us; but remember thy own tender
mercies and loving-kindnesses, which have been
ever of old. O say not of this land, thou hast no
pleasure in it; but return, we beseech thee, O
God of hosts : look down from heaven, behold and
visit this vineyard, and the branch which thou
madest strong for thyself. Be thou as a wall of
fire about our church, to protect it against all that
would invade its peace, corrupt its purity, or de-
stroy its prosperity. And be thou as a refiner's
fire, and like fuller's soap, in the midst of us; to
purge away our dross, and to purify us yet more
fivm all remaining errors arid corruptions. Let
thy church be established in the midst of us: let
righteousness be the foundation of her walls, and
peace the ornament of her palaces.

O may that right hand of thine which doeth
valiantly, work wonders for our safety. Espe-
cially be thou pleased, O Lord, to work such a
holy reformation amongst us, that we may not be
nominally, but really, a reformed people, even a
peculiar people, zealous of good works. Make us
eminent for that righteousness which exalteth a
nation ; that thou, the righteous Lord, who lovest
righteousness, mayst bless us, and compass us
with thy favour as with a shield. Thou hast seen
how much we have resisted hitherto the means
thou hast used for our good: but be merciful
unto us ; and cause thine anger towards us to

FOR UNITY. 279

cease ; and rejoice over us to do us good ; and do
for us what thou knowest will be effectual to re-
claim and save us. Give us grace that shall be
sufficient for us, and that shall constrain us to
walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are
called. Cast not out our prayer; but hear, and
answer us, O God of our salvation, for the sake
of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR UNITY.

OGOD of the spirits of all flesh, who hast
made of one blood all nations of men, to
dwell on the face of the whole earth ! Wilt thou
make us to agree in mind and affection, as we do
in nature and constitution ; and give to all nations
unity, peace, and concord? And, as thou hast
called the faithful throughout the world, into one
body, so make the multitude of believers (as once
they were) of one heart and of one soul. O let
not the seamless coat of Christ be rent in pieces;
nor thy church be divided by schisms and con-
tentions: but make us one fold and one flock,
under Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd and
Bishop of our souls. Heal the wounds which our
mutual jealousies and animosities have made : let
not those invidious names that tend only to exas-
perate and to widen our breaches, be kept up ;
but take away from the midst of us that perverse
spirit which makes us a nation void of counsel,

280 FOR THE QUEEN AND ALL RULERS.

and disposes us to bite and devour one another.
O God of peace ! incline our hearts to hearken to
all peaceable counsels, and to comply with all
healing designs. And so allay the heats whicli
our dissensions have raised, that amidst the variety
of sentiments which obtain amongst us, we may
yet keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of
peace, and evidence our relation to the Prince of
Peace, by following after those things that make
for peace.

O Lord, rebuke the storms which our unhal-
lowed passions have raised : say to the winds and
to the waves, be still ; and they shall obey thee.
O heal our breaches; and give us peace v/ith
thee, our God, as the foundation for a firm and
lasting peace with each other. Let the uniting
Spirit of Christ Jesus draw and knit us together
in the blessed communion of thy saints ; and let
us all, with one heart and one mind, exert our-
selves to advance thy glory, and the public good,
and the common salvation of all our souls, through
thy rich mercy to us in our blessed peace-maker,
Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE QUEEN AND ALL OUR
RULERS AND MAGISTRATES.

A LMIGHTY Lord, the most high God, by
JL-L whom kings reign and princes decree jus-

FOR THE QUEEN AND ALL RULERS. 281

tice ! Thou puttest down one, and settest up an-
other ; and there are no powers but of thee ; the
powers that be are ordained of God. Thy word
directs us to pray for kings, and for all that are
in authority. And, both in duty and inclination,
I become a petitioner to thy heavenly Majesty
for thy chosen servant, Queen Victoria, and for
all our governors both in church and state. Give

o

thy judgments, O God, to the Queen, that she
may judge thy people righteously, and break in
pieces their oppressors. Give her the spirit of
government, and make her wise as an angel of
God, to discern between good and evil : a ruler
after thine own heart, and a follower of wise and
pious princes in things excellent and praise-
worthy. O make her obedient to thee; and
make her subjects obedient to her for thy sake.
Rule her heart in thy fear and love, that she may
rule her people to thy honour and glory. In her
days let the righteous flourish and enjoy abun-
dance of peace, with the liberty of thy gospel,
and the free profession of thy true and holy reli-
gion. Protect her, Lord, that she may protect
us. Bless her arms with good success and vic-
tory: and her government with all happiness and
prosperity. O keep her as the apple of thine
eye: hide her under the shadow of thy wings;
that no mischief may befall her, nor any son of
Belial come near to touch thine anointed, or to
do her any harm. And may she long continue to
rule and reign for thee in her earthly kingdom,

282 FOR THE QUEEN AND ALL RULERS.

till she come to live and reign with thee above in
thy kingdom of glory.

Give, Lord, unto all our rulers a mind and
spirit suitable to their situations. Make them a
terror only to evil-doers, and a praise to them
that do well. O that they may use for thee all
the power which they have received from thee,
not bearing the sword in vain ; but curbing and
suppressing all vice and ungodliness; and de-
fending and encouraging whatever is holy, just,
and good. O give them wisdom to understand,
and hearts to consider, and abilities to redress,
the grievances of thy people: that under their
protection we may lead quiet and peaceable lives,
in all godliness and honesty.

And grant, O Lord, that I, and all my fellow-
subjects, may submit to every ordinance of man
for thy sake; and in conscience towards God,
yield obedience to the powers which thou hast or-
dained. Let the fear of God teach us to honour
the queen : and a sense of our duty to thee keep
us within the bounds of our duty to them ; that
we may not bring an evil report upon our holy
profession; but put to silence the ignorance of
foolish men, by well-doing. And may all rulers
so rule, and subjects so obey; and every one of
us, from the highest to the lowest, understand
and seek after God (seeking thee, Lord, whilst
thou mayst be found, and calling upon thee while
thou art near) that thou mayst not root us out
from being a people, (as we have justly merited;)

FOR BISHOPS AND MINISTERS. 283

but be still our God, and do us good in the ac-
customed ways of thy loving-kindness to us.
through the Son of thy love, our blessed Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR ALL OUR BISHOPS,
PASTORS, AND MINISTERS.

OLORD most high, thou glorious head of all
the church ! who hast appointed various
offices in it, for the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ : bless in an especial manner all
those whom thou hast sent to bless the people in
thy name ; and make all our spiritual fathers
careful and tender nursing fathers of thy church.
Grant them knowledge and grace, that they may
ordor their conversation aright ; enable them to
watch for souls, to feed the flock of God, and to
take the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly ; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready
mind : may they care for all committed to their
charge^ and give to every one his portion in due
season : enable them rightly to divide thy word,
and to speak it as they ought to speak, that they
may be useful in their generation, and approve
themselves to thee as workmen that need not to
be ashamed. Make them skilful and faithful in
their sacred callings : and in all their endeavours
to promote the knowledge and love of thy truth,

284 FOR BISHOPS AND MINISTERS.

O give them good success. And let both their
example and their doctrine be such as shall help
to save themselves and those that hear them. O
that they may speak as the oracles of God, in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power ; and
that they may show themselves patterns of all
the good things which they preach to others; not
prostituting their holy calling to serve the interests
and lusts of men ; but conscientiously discharging
it, to the glory of their Lord ! Let them not
walk in craftiness, nor handle the word of God
deceitfully ; but by manifestation of the truth,
may they commend themselves to every man's
conscience in the sight of God. Let them be
such ensamples to the flock, that having preached
to others, they themselves may not be cast-away s.
but may experience the joy of that salvation which
they preach : and when the chief Shepherd shall
appear, may they be counted worthy to receive
the crown of glory that fadcth not away.

Though the world hates, and the devil opposes
them; and even many that should encourage their
labours, do but strive to weaken their hands, and
afflict their hearts ; O great and good Lord, do
thou show thine own strength, to accomplish thine
own work. Open a wide door to the gospel; and
defeat all opposition. Stop the mouths of false
prophets ; and drive away ravenous wolves from
the flock ; and give them faithful pastors after
thine own heart. And, Lord, crown the endea-
vours of thy messengers with thy heavenly bless-

FOR REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 285

Ing : that they may be mighty through God, to
pull down the strong-holds of sin ; and to edify
and build up thy church in the true fear and love
of God, and in the right knowledge and faith of
our Lord Jesus Christ. And because wise men
die, and cannot bequeath their learning and talents
unto others, do thou interpose to supply the
breaches made upon us by their mortality. Bless
both our universities, and all the schools and
seminaries of good learning and true religion in
the land : that they may sejid forth men able and
fit to serve thee in church and state ; who may
successively do good in their generations, and
show thy people the way of happiness and sal-
vation. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR SOCIETIES,

CONFEDERATE TO PROMOTE REFORMATION OF MANNERS.

0 RIGHTEOUS Lord! thoulovest righteous-
ness, and thy countenance doth behold the
upright. Thou favourest them that espouse thy
righteous cause; and wilt for ever glorify such as
turn many to righteousness. Thou hast com-
manded us not only to be holy, and to walk cir-
cumspectly ourselves ; but also to show our con-
cern for the souls of others. Thou hast appointed
us to contend for thy most holy faith ; yea, to
contend also with the wicked, and not to suffer
sin upon our brother. Thou hast enjoined us, at

286 FOR REFORMATION OF MANNERS.

the peril of our own souls, to use our utmost en-
deavours to convert sinners from the errors of
their ways: and to recover out of the snare of the
devil, those who have been taken captive by him
at his will.

Help,, Lord ; for the godly man ceaseth, and
the faithful fail from among the children of men.
Wherever we turn our eyes, how many are there
who seek their own things,, and how few who
seek the things that are Jesus Christ's ! Arise,
O God, and plead thine own cause: and be with
them that rise up against the evil-doers; and that
strive, by executing judgment, to stay the plague
and wrath that are gone out from the Lord against
us. Plead their cause, O Lord, with them that
strive with them, and stand up for their help ;
and stop the way against them that persecute
them : and make them successful in promoting
the honour of thy great name, and the interests
of thy holy religion.

O that none of the correctors of others may
deserve like censure themselves ! but that they
may all be blameless and harmless, the sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked
and perverse nation, among whom they should
shine as lights in the world. O give them a ten-
der love to the souls of men, a zeal according to
knowledge, and prudence to walk in wisdom
towards them that are without. And give them
courage to endure the contradiction of sinners :
let them^ account it a small thing to be judged of

FOR REFORMATION OF MANNERS. 287

man's judgment : and help them in patience to
possess their souls, and in meekness to instruct
those that oppose themselves. Make the weapons
of their warfare mighty through God to the pull-
ing down of strongholds. And so speed them
with thy heavenly blessing, that, how small so-
ever their beginning was, their latter end may
greatly increase. O let them go forth in thy
strength, and prevail and prosper, as the blessed
of the Lord.

Though we live in an age when iniquity
abounds, and almost all abominations are shame-
fully committed, yet thou, Lord, who dost mar-
vellous things, canst bring light out of darkness :
and when thou pleasest, canst change the face of
evil times. Yea, thou hast taught us to expect
glorious things in the latter day, even such a holy
and happy state of things as this wretched sinful
world has never yet enjoyed.

O when shall it be, Lord, that judgment shall
return unto righteousness, and that all the upright
in heart follow it ? O when shall the wickedness
of the wicked come to an end ; and profaneness
and lewdness, intemperance and extravagance, be
put to confusion ! when shall iniquity stop her
mouth, and the righteous flourish, and Jerusalem
be the joy and praise of the whole earth ?

The Lord hasten it in his time ! In the mean
while, speak, O Lord, from heaven, and restrain
the floods of ungodliness that have lifted up
their voice and their waves; and hay to those

288 AN ADDITION IN TIME OF WAR.

proud waters, hitherto shall ye go, and no fur-
ther.

O cherish and prosper all good beginnings, and
all hopeful proceedings, for the furtherance of
piety, and for the advancement of thy glory.
Make magistrates and ministers, and all orders
of men, vigilant in keeping their own hearts, and
ordering their own conversation aright; that they
may more successfully promote the edification of
their neighbours. Make them all to account it,
not their duty, but their honour and pleasure, to
advance this blessed work : make them to do it
heartily, as to the Lord ; to the reforming of the
world, and to the rejoicing of all that love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

AN ADDITION IN TIME OF WAR.

OLORD, the great and dreadful God ! against
thee we have so greatly sinned, that thou
mayst justly use our enemies as thy scourge to
correct us ; and if thou shouldst give us over to
their power, it is meet that we should patiently
bear thine indignation. But, however thou mayst
be pleased to express thine anger against us, O
let us not fall into their hands, whose very mercies
are cruel. Arise, O God, let not man prevail,
nor those that hate us swallow us up: but scatter
them by thy power, and bring them down, O
Lord, our defender. Thou that makest the wrath

AN ADDITION IN TIME OF WAR. 289

of man to praise thee, O bring glory to thyself
even from the fury of our enemies : yea, restrain
the remainder of their wrath ; and put a stop to
the effusion of blood ; that wars may cease, and
our land have rest, and thy people be blest with
peace. Our eyes are upon thee, our great Saviour
and mighty Deliverer, to give us help from trouble:
for vain is the help of man. In times of danger,
O be thou our shield and buckler. And when
our sins lay us open to the malice of enemies,
gracious God, be thou our hiding-place, to pre-
serve us from the evils we dread, and from the
judgments we deserve. O, for thy truth's sake,
for thy beloved Son, our blessed Saviour's sake,
spare us, good Lord, and give us not up a reproach
to our enemies ; nor let them ever have cause to
rejoice in our ruin.

O go forth with our armies, thou Almighty
Lord of hosts; and bless and prosper both our
land and naval forces. And that we may not be
in rebellion against heaven, while others are
warring against us, O save us from our provoking
sins ; and so direct our ways to please thee, that
thou mayst make even our enemies to be at peace
with us. Purge the camp of every cursed thing,
which would incapacitate them for standing before
their enemies ; and turn them from all the provo-
cations which weaken our hopes of receiving good
by their hands. Cover thou their heads in the
day of battle ; and preserve them in the time of
danger. O let them be as the sun when it goeth
19

290 UNDER PUBLIC COMMOTIONS.

forth in its strength; let them return with safety,
honour, and victory; and bless them, O God, with
good success. O hear the prayers and cries of thy
servants, who stand in the gap, interceding in the
anguish of their souls for this sinful nation, which
has so long abused thy mercy : spare us, good
Lord, and save us by the kind hand of thine
omnipotence : let us be plucked as a brand out of
the fire ; that we may see the good out of thy
chosen, and rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
and glory with thine inheritance : vouchsafe it to
us, we beseech thee, according to the riches of
thy grace and goodness in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

A PRAYER IN PUBLIC COMMOTIONS AND
DISTRACTIONS.

A LMIGHTY Lord, the righteous God! thy
JLJL judgments are in all the earth: and it is no
wonder that a world which has so trampled on
thy laws, should experience thy heavy displeasure.
Behold, O Lord, we hear of wars and rumours of
wars, and that the sword is making havock among
the nations. And though we have hitherto been
kept from such wasting calamities as have swept
away multitudes of our brethren, yet thou, for
our sins, hast now visited the nation, and made it
tremble. O heal the breaches of it, for it shaketh.
We have no sanctuary to flee unto, but that mercy
of thine, which we have so often abused; nor any

UNDER PUBLIC COMMOTIONS. 291

help from trouble, but what we seek at thy hands,
who, for our sins, art justly displeased. O thou
that waitest to be gracious, and whose mercy
endureth for ever, have compassion on us, and
save us. Spare us, good Lord ; spare thy people4,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious
blood, and distinguished with thy peculiar favour.
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts; cause thy
face to shine, and we shall be saved. O make a
way for us to escape out of those fears and dan-
gers, wherein our sins have involved us ; that
peace may be restored to us, and the gospel of
peace be continued to us and our posterity, as
long as the world endures. O that we may learn
righteousness by thy judgments; and not dare to
go on in our trespasses and rebellions against thee,
when thou hast a controversy with us, and art
making inquisition for blood ! but let us so turn
to thee, in the way of our duty, that thou mayst
turn to us in a way of saving mercy. And, seeing
that this is not our rest, and that*little but alarms
and commotions are to be expected in this tumul-
tuous world, O that we may have our eyes con-
tinually lifted up to thee, from whom cometh our
help ; and lay up our treasure in that kingdom
which cannot be moved! Make us to choose that
good part which shall not be taken away from us;
that so we may have comfort in our life, and hope
in our death, even the hope of that eternal life,
which is thy promise and gift, O blessed God,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

292 IN TIME OF INFECTION.

IN TIME OF INFECTION.

OLORD God, the giver of our health, which
is the blessing that sweetens all the other
blessings of our lives; it is only of thy mercy that
we have any measure of health continued to us.
And, O how just were it with thee, utterly to
take away from us that health, which we have so
greatly abused to a forgetfulness of thee, and to
wantonness against thee ! How justly mightst
thou smite us with the most sharp and noisome
diseases, and hurry us out of the land of the liv-
ing, by signal and desolating judgments 1 Our
flesh trembles for fear of thee, and we are afraid
of thy judgments; lest thou shouldst pierce us
with the arrows of the Almighty, and sweep us
away with the besom of destruction. But, O
thou hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time
of trouble, regard not our ill deserts ; but remem-
ber thy own tender mercies, and gracious pro-
mises : and have pity on us : and turn away this
plague from us. Put a stop to the raging infec-
tion, and say to the destroying angel, it is enough ;
that we may no longer be afraid of the terror by
night, or of the arrow that flieth by day, or of the
pestilence that walketh in darkness, or of the
destruction that wasteth at noon-day; but may,
with ease in our minds and gladness in our hearts,
serve thee, the only true God, and devote to thee
the life and health which thou hast spared. O

A PRAYER FOR RAIN. 293

hear us in this hour of our necessity, and let our
cry come unto thee, through the merits and in-
tercession of thy dear Son, our most compas-
sionate and prevailing Mediator, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR RAIN.

WE confess, O Lord, that we have so greatly
abused the comforts of thy good creatures,
that thou might st justly withdraw them from us,
and make the heavens over us as brass, and the
land itself to mourn, and all that grows upon it
to wither. But, O thou Father of mercies, who
in judgment rememberest mercy, consult not now
our merits, but thy own mercies. Thou that hast
the bottles and treasures of heaven at thy com-
mand, be pleased now to open the windows of
heaven, and cause the rain to come down in its
season; making grass to grow for the cattle, and
herbs and fruits for the service of men. And,
however thou art pleased to deal with us, O sup-
press all our repinings at any of thy dispensations ;
and let them all be sanctified unto us; that we
may be prepared to receive the mercies which we
want, or to wait thy time for them with meekness
and resignation. We ask it for the sake of Jesus
Christ our Saviour. Amen.

204 FOR FAIR WEATkER.

FOR FAIR WEATHER.

LORD, if thou shouldst turn our fruitful land
into barrenness for the wickedness of them
that dwell therein, thou wouldst be righteous ;
and just would be thy judgments. We could not
open our mouths to reply against thee, but must
bear the indignation of the Lord which our sins
have so much deserved. But, O Father of mer-
cies, spare us, and forgive us, for thy own mercy's
sake; and put a stop to the calamity that threatens
destruction to the work of thy hands. Let not
the rain, which is thy blessing, be turned into a
curse. Put a stop to the overflowing showers,
which injure the fruits of the earth, and endanger
the loss of our blessings. AncJ as thou hast given
us plenty, and caused our land to yield its in-
crease, so give us (we pray thee) a seasonable
time to gather in the fruits, which thy bounty
has provided for us; that, in the use of them, we
may joyfully serve thee, and live to thy glory, as
we do upon thy bounty. And when thy judg-
ments are in the land, O that we who inhabit it,
may learn righteousness ! Nor let our concern
be so great for our bodies as for our souls : that
however we fare here, it may go well with us for
ever. O let us not labour for the meat that
perisheth, so much as for that which endures to
everlasting life; which thou hast promised to
give, and which above all we beg at thy hands,

PRAYER IN TIME OF FAMINE. 295

O Lord God our Father, for the sake of Jesus
Christ our only Saviouc. Amen.

A PRAYER IN TIME OF FAMINE.

OLORD Most High, the Creator of every
comfort ! thou hast long dealt out thy bless-
ings to us with a plentiful hand ; and we have
freely enjoyed all the abundance of good things
which thou hast heaped upon us. But when thou
hast fed us to the full, how have we kicked against
our blessed owner, and most bountiful benefactor !
how have we abused the provisions for our bodies,
in pampering the lusts that war against our souls!
Most righteous, therefor e., we confess, would be
thy judgments, O Lord, if thou shouldst stretch
out upon us the line of confusion, and the stones
of emptiness ; and break the staff of our bread ;
and curse us in all our store, and in all the en-
deavours of our hands to help ourselves.

But, O thou blessed Father of mercies ! in
mercy avert from us the hunger, and thirst, and
nakedness, and want of all things, which is the
due desert of our sins. Let not the husbandman
be ashamed, sowing much, and gathering little ;
let not the land mourn, and all the inhabitants,
with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of
heaven : but humble us, O Lord, for all our abuse
of thy past mercies ; and deliver us from those
sins which have turned our land into barrenness.

206 IN TIME OF THUNDER.

Be pleased to command a blessing upon us ; and
abundantly to bless our provision, and to satisfy
our poor with bread : and give us fruitful seasons,
filling our hearts with food and gladness; that we
may see thy hand, and praise thy power, and
adore thy mercy and bounty, and, in the strength
and refreshment of our restored comforts, may
joyfully devote ourselves to thy holy service all
the days of our lives. Amen.

DEVOUT APPLICATION TO THE LORD

IN TIME OP THUNDER, OE SOME TERRIBLE TEMPEST.

OLORD God, most high and almighty ! who
lookest upon the earth, and it trembles ;
and tou chest the mountains, and they smoke; how
wonderful art thou in thy works, and terrible in
thy doings ! Thou hast all the creatures at thy
command, and employ est them (when thou wilt)
as the executioners of thy wrath ! even the de-
vouring lire, and stormy winds, ungovernable as
they appear to us, do yet fulfil thy will. In these
astonishing flames, these roaring noises, and
dreadful commotions, thou showest the power of
thy hand, which no creature is able to resist.
When thou, O God of glory, thunderest, and
causest thy voice to be heard from heaven, thou
makest us to know the terrors of the Lord ; and
how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of
the living God. And we must own it, Lord, to

IN TIME OF THUNDER. 297

be only of thy mercies that we are not consumed,
even because thy compassions fail not. O let
these thy compassions now be extended to us, and
showed upon us. And in tender mercy cause the
threatening destruction to pass over us.

O despise not the prayers of thy poor creatures,
crying to thee in their extreme distress: but now
and evermore vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ ;
graciously hear us, O Christ ; graciously hear us,
O Lord Christ. And let us not only find mercy
from thee now, but more especially in that great
day of the Lord ; wherein the heavens, being on
fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, and the earth, with all
its works, shall be burnt up. O Lord of all
mercy, save us now from our sins ; for it is our
sins that make us afraid ; and fearfulness sur-
prises us, because we have been false in thy
eovenant, and rebellious against thy word, and
have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger.
O forgive us all the guilt which we have con-
tracted ; and which fills us with fearful expecta-
tion of thy wrath and fiery indignation. And let
the all-sufficient merits of our Redeemer's death,
(that death which made the earth to quake, and
the rocks to rend,) atone for every wickedness,
whereby we have offended thy divine Majesty.

And, O that we may not only be filled with awe
at present, whilst thou art shaking thy rod over
us, but be awakened permanently from all carnal
security, all hardness of heart, and forgetfulness

298 UNDER A SOPwE CALAMITY.

of thee our God, who art a consuming fire. And
let the fear of thy judgments humble us : let thy
terrors soften our hearts, and leave such deep and
lasting impressions on our minds, that we may
never disregard the works of the Lord, nor the
operation of his hands ; but with all awfulness
revere and adore thee, the supreme Ruler of all
the world. O Lord our governor, keep us in thy
fear, not only through this day, but to the latest
hour of our lives. Keep us from every thing that
may provoke the eyes of thy glory : and enable us
to walk before thee in such a humble, godly, cir-
cumspect manner, that thy name may be glorified
in us, and that we may be glorified in and with
thee for evermore. Amen.

IN TIME OF ANY SORE AND GRIEVOUS
CALAMITY.

OMOST high and glorious Lord God, thou
supreme governor of the universe, how un-
searchable are thy judgments, and thy ways past
finding out ! Thy path is in the great deep, and
thy footsteps are not known. Clouds and dark-
ness are round about thee, yet righteousness and
judgment are at all times the basis of thy throne.
Thou canst never do injury to any; but art righte-
ous in all thy ways, and holy in all thy works.
Who would not stand in awe of thy glorious
majesty, O Lord? Thou canst consume us by

UNDER A SORE CALAMITY. 299

thine own immediate stroke, or arm any of thy
creatures in heaven or earth against us. Thou
canst make the vilest of them the executioners of
thy just indignation; or turn the very things
wherein we have offended into the instruments of
our punishment. Thou canst plague us even in
our comforts: making the choicest blessings of our
lives to become the heaviest of our crosses, and
the keenest of our torments. Thou canst in a
moment take away life from us, or make it less
desirable to us than death itself.

We fall down and kneel before the Lord our
Maker, in humble submission to thy correction,
acknowledging the heavy desert of our sins, and
the perfect justice of thy judgments. Hunable us,
O good Lord, under thy hand: and forgive the
iniquities that have provoked thee so to stretch it
out against us. Thou that takest away the sins
of the world, have mercy upon us, and turn us
from our sins; and deliver us from evil, arid take
away thy plagues from us. O let thy boundless
compassion cover the multitude of our transgres-
sions: remember thy poor unworthy creatures in
mercy: relieve and help us in our need and dis-
tress : and save and free us from our fears and
dangers, and from our griefs and pressures: that
we may comfortably spend our few remaining
days, and glorify thy name for evermore. Amen.

300 FOR OUR BENEFACTORS.

i

A PRAYER FOR OUR BENEFACTORS.

DESIRE with all thankfulness to acknow-
ledge thy loving-kindness., O Lord, my God :
that thou hast given me so many comforts, and
raised me up so many friends and helps in the
world. It is thou, Lord, (who hast the hearts of
all in thy hands), that turnest the hearts of any
to show me favour, and to do me good. They are
but the instruments and means of conveyance ;
but thou art the blessed author and source of all
the kindness. To thee, therefore, where alone il
is due, I give the glory, and offer the sacrifice ot
praise. But for them, whom thou hast enabled,
and inclined to benefit me, I am bound in duty
to offer up the sacrifice of my prayers. O be thou
kind to them, Lord, as they have been kind to
me: refresh their bowels, as they have refreshed
mine ; and requite their love, and all their en-
dearing offices of friendship, sevenfold into their
bosoms. Make me studious ever to approve my-
self grateful, and ready to make all suitable re-
turns in my power. And be thou pleased, O
blessed God, to reward them in a better way than
I can do, and to turn all the advantages I have
received from them, to their own best and great-
est advantage. And for all their goodness and
their kind favours to me, give them, O Lord, not
only temporal, but spiritual blessings, and ever-
lasting consolations. O give them that unspeak-

FOR OUR PIOUS FRIENDS. 301

ably rich gift, the knowledge of thy dear Son,
and all the good things of thy Spirit that accom-
pany salvation: yea, give them thine own self, O
Lord, (who art ALL in all), to be their blessed,
their glorious portion for evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR OUR PIOUS FRIENDS.

GLORY be to thee, O Lord, for thy grace dis-
covered upon any of my friends. O how
great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for
them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for
them that trust in thee, before the sons of men !
Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance : feed
them also, and lift them up for ever. Let none
that wait on thee, O Lord, be ashamed ; but let
all that seek thee, rejoice and be glad in thee,
and ever have cause to say, the Lord be magni-
fied, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his
servants. O do good to them that are good ; and
to them that are upright in their heart. And
continue thy loving-kindness, Lord, to all those
who have chosen the better part, and who desire
to know and love thee more, and to serve and
please thee better. O answer them in the wishes
of their hearts, whose hearts thou knowest to be
set upon the increase of thy grace, and the per-
fecting of holiness in thy fear. Lead them on
from strength to strength, from one degree of
saving knowledge and grace to another, till (from

302 FOR A WICKED RELATION.

shining here as lights in the world) they come to
shine as the stars, and as the brightness of the
firmament, in the kingdom of their Father, for
ever and ever. And while they are in the world,
O do thou keep them, good Lord, from the evil
of it : and prosper all their endeavours to do good
in it : that all about them may be the better for
them ; and that themselves, when come to the
end of their pilgrimage here, may depart in peace,
and hope, and joy; and find their grace exchanged
for a crown of glory, that fadeth not away. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR OUR FRIEND,

WHOSE SOUL WE FEAR TO BE IN A DANGEROUS COJs7DITION.

OLORD ! it was from a deep concern for the
souls of men, that thy holy apostle declared,
he had great heaviness and continual sorrow in
his heart, and could wish himself accursed from
Christ for his brethren, his kinsmen according to
the flesh. Such a concern, though far inferior in
degree, I feel in myself, with reference to some of

my relations, especially my poor friend ,

who seems to be even in the gall of bitterness,
and the bond of iniquity; setting himself in a
way that is far from good ; and lying under the
most imminent danger of eternal misery. O what
shall I do for him ? and how shall I apply myself
to be helpful to him ? I would be taught of God ;
and I desire to learn wisdom of thee, my Lord,

FOR A WICKED IlELATION. 303

and to be enabled by thy grace to use the methods
and expedients that shall be most successful to
work upon him, and to do him good. O instruct
me in the way that I shall take ; and assist and
bless me in the means and endeavours I shall use
to attain this desirable end.

Yea, thou great Almighty God, who workest
all in all, and canst do whatever thou pleasest, to
enlighten the darkest minds, to soften the hard-
est hearts, to conquer the most stubborn will, and
to turn even the most hopeless sinners to thyself;
O be thou pleased to show the almighty efficacy
of thy grace in the case that is so deplorable, and
so worthy of thyself to relieve. 'Be pleased, O
Lord, to break in powerfully upon him, and dis-
cover to him what is amiss with his soul ; and
make him to know in what an awful condition he
stands. Open, Lord, his eyes, and renew his
heart, and turn his course, and break the force of
his temptations; and make a way for him to
escape out of the hands of his great adversary.
Let his dead soul hear the voice of the Son of
God, and live. Let him be awakened from his
presumptuous security, and, though far gone, be
yet recovered. Let the lost sheep be brought
home : yea, make him so to repent and be con-
verted, that his sins may be blotted out, and his
soul be thoroughly healed, and mercifully ac-
cepted, and eternally saved.

O gracious God ! thou hast no pleasure in the
death of the wicked, but art reconcileable, in the

304 FOR A WICKED RELATION.

Son of thy love, to the very worst of thy enemies ;
and not willing that any should perish. O what
profit is there in his blood? how shall the dead
and damned praise thee ? Lord of all power and
mercy, get thyself glory in his recovery. O speak
the word, and thy sinful creature shall live, and
for ever bless thy name. Dear Father ! forgive

« O

him all the evil thoughts and devices of his heart,
and all the offensive and wicked carriage of his
life ; forgive him all his sins of omission and com-
mission ; and bring him out of all the ways of
wickedness and ruin, into which he hath turned
aside : O bring him at last, with full purpose of
heart, to resign and devote himself to the Lord.
And make him so diligent and conscientious in
all the practices of piety, and charity, and so-
briety,, that he may approve himself to be truly
changed ; and show in the whole of his conduct
what manner of person he ought to be in all holy
conversation and godliness.

O grant him an inheritance among them that
are sanctified, through faith in Christ Jesus : and
send down that renewing grace into his heart,
which may be there as a well of water, springing
up to everlasting life. Thus comfort and rejoice
the soul of thy servant, O Lord, who waits upon
thee. Let me not implore thy help in vain : but
hear my feeble intercessions for my poor perish-
ing friend ; and grant him mercy for thine own
mercy's sake, in the great lover and Saviour of
souls, who came to seek the lost, and to call sin-

FOR OUR CHILDREN. 305

ners to repentance, even thy dearly beloved Son,
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR OUR CHILDREN.

BEHOLD, O Lord, the children which thou
hast graciously vouchsafed to give me, I
humbly dedicate and devote to thee. O that
they may know thee, and be owned by thee, as
thy children, every one of them, from the great-
est to the least. Pour out thy spirit upon my
seed, and thy blessing upon my offspring. Make
them, Lord, thy children by adoption and spiri-
tual regeneration. O take possession of their
hearts ; and enrich them now, even in their early
years, with thy heavenly grace, And teach those
whose office it is to instruct them, how to guide
them aright ; that they may be brought up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, and trained
up in the way that they should go. I have helped
to bring them into the world, children of wrath ;
O that thou wouldst make me instrumental to
bring them also into thy church, as children of
grace. Lord, have mercy upon them, and speak
life to their souls : and, whatsoever else they
want, O let them not want thy. grace, and the
portion of thy children. My God ! be thou a
gracious Father to them, and a merciful provider
for them in all estates and events of their lives.
Dispose of them, and whatever concerns them, in
20

306 FOR OUR PARENTS.

such a manner as may most tend to thy glory,
and to their salvation.

Shouldst thou see fit to take them from hence
before me, O prepare them for thy presence ; and
make me willing to resign them to thee. Or if
thou remove me from them, O my Lord, take
them up, and be thou a Father to them when I
am gone. O keep them from the evil of this
world ; and conduct them through it in safety to
a better. Take thou care even of their temporal
concerns, and choose their inheritance for them ;
and let all good things be added unto them in
this present life : but especially, O my God, take
care of their souls ; and give them the blessed
treasure in heaven ; that, when they shall be de-
prived of all things here below', they may be
taken into thy glorious kingdom above ; there to
live with thee, and all the heavenly host, world
•without end. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR OUR PARENTS.

OLORD God, my heavenly Father, I here
prostrate myself before thee, to beg thy bless-
ing, grace, and mercy, upon my earthly parents.
Cast them not away in the time of their old age,
forsake them not when their strength fails them ;
but have compassion, Lord, on their infirmities,
and help them in all their weakness. O remem-
ber not against them any of their former iniqui-

FOR OUR ENEMIES. 307

ties ; but according to tliy mercy remember them,
for thy goodness* sake in Christ Jesns. O that
the true wisdom may be in them, and abundant
grace upon them ; that their hoary heads may be
found in the way of righteousness, and their
souls be ever precious in thy sight. Let good-
ness and mercy follow them all the days of their
life. Let their last days be their best days ; and
the longer they live in this world, make them the
fitter to die, and to dAvell with thy blessed self,
in life everlasting. O be thou their guide until
death, and in death their support and comfort ;
and, when heart and flesh, and all here shall fail
them, O do thou never fail them; but be the
strength of their hearts, and their portion for
evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR OUR ENEMIES.

OLORD of love, and Prince of peace, who
hast told us, that thou earnest to send a
sword and fire upon earth, and that through much
tribulation we must enter into thy kingdom ;
what am I, vile, sinful creature, that I should
hope to be exempted from the common portion of
all thy followers ? If I have raised up enemies
to myself by my own misconduct, Lord, incline
and enable me to appease and gain them : and so
direct my ways to please thee, that my enemies
may be constrained to be at peace with me. As

308 FOR OUR ENEMIES.

for sucli as are my enemies wrongfully. Lord,, lay
not this sin to their charge : but forgive them,
and open their eyes, and pacify their minds,, and
turn their hearts, that they may see their error ;
and, being first reconciled unto thee, may learn
to dwell with their brethren in unity and godly
love. If, while I study, as much as lieth in me,
to live peaceably with them, they still render evil
for good, enable me to requite them with nothing
but good; and evermore to love my enemies, ac-
cording to thy command, and according to thy
example which thou hast showed us in dying for
thine enemies. Let me, in all that I suffer from
them, consider them as thy rod, and the staff of
thine indignation : that, instead of striving to
avenge myself, I may humbly submit to thy
fatherly corrections.

O good Lord ! mortify in all of us the carnal
mind, that is enmity against God, and those lusts
that war in our members, from whence come wars
and fightings amongst us. Turn all our enmity
against the common enemies of our souls. And
unite all our hearts to thee, in thy true fear and
love ; that we may not meditate revenge, but
study to be quiet ; nor foment and pursue our
quarrels, but follow after the things that make
for peace ; and with one mouth, glorify our God,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

FOR THE UNCONVERTED. S09

A PRAYER FOR THE UNCONVERTED.

OLORD God, gracious and merciful! thou
art good to all ; and thy tender mercies are
over all thy works. And thou hast assured us,
that thou hast no pleasure in the death of the
wicked ; but that he should turn from his way
and live. Yea, thou that didst convert Zaccheus
the publican, and Saul the persecutor, hast power
over all hearts to fashion them as thou wilt ; and
canst, even out of stones., raise up children to
Abraham ; and make eminent saints out of the
very vilest sinners. O Father of mercies ! have
pity on those who have no pity on themselves :
open their eyes to see the error of their ways, and
the danger of their state. Soften their hearts
into a penitent concernment for their sins ; and
awaken them to a timely care for their souls. O
let thy Spirit convince them what is the wages
of sin, and how dreadful is the portion of ungodly
men : and make them to know where their help
lies, and what they must do to be saved. And
the Lord make them faithful to their convictions;
that they may not hold the truth in unrighteous-
ness, but may quickly do what they are convin-
ced is necessary to be done for their souls, before
it be too late.

O merciful God ! give to such as have opposed
themselves, repentance to the acknowledgment
of the truth; and recover out of the snare of the

310 FOR THE UNCONVERTED.

devil those who have been taken captive by him
at his will. Let thy mercy be glorified in their
conversion and salvation., and not thy justice in
their abandonment and destruction.

Behold, O Lord, how many there are who con-
tradict and blaspheme thy truth, and hate and
abuse the followers of Jesus ; and not only resist
the means used for their salvation, but turn again
and rend thy servants, who seek their welfare !
O God, our heavenly Father, forgive them ; for
they know not what they do. Let them no
longer stumble at thy word : but do thou stop
and turn them, as thou didst the persecuting
Saul, when he was mad against the saints, and
verily thought with himself, that he ought to do
many things contrary to the name of Jesus. Put
them in fear, O Lord, that they may know them-
selves to be but chaff and stubble before thee, who
art a consuming fire. And bring down their high
looks, subdue their stiff necks, a-nd break their
hardened hearts, that they may submit themselves
to thee, before thou hast sworn that they shall
never enter into thy rest.

And such as think they are rich, and increased
with goods, and have need of nothing ; and know
not that they are wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked, O Lord, discover
them to themselves, and show them the perilous
condition of their souls : that they may be truly
penitent for their sins, and thoroughly concerned
to flee from the wrath to come.

FOR THE UNCONVERTED. 311

Such as are ignorant, and out of the way, and
to do good unto their souls have no knowledge,
Lord, have compassion on them ; and call them
out of darkness into thy marvellous light ; that
they may not perish for lack of knowledge. O
let them be taught of God to know thee and
themselves, and the things belonging to their
peace, before they be hid from their eyes. O
thou that commandest the light to shine out of
darkness, be pleased to shine into their hearts :
show them thy ways and lead them in thy truth:
that they may not be unwise, but understand
what the will of the Lord is.

Such as are in pernicious errors, and damnable
heresies, departed from the faith once delivered
to the saints , having their minds corrupted from
the simplicity that is in Christ; perverting the
truth, as it is in Jesus ; and not only swerving
from the pure doctrine of the gospel themselves,
but also lying in wait to seduce and deceive
others ; O Father of lights, take away the veil
which is upon their hearts ; that they may see
wherein they have erred, and come to receive the
truth in the love of it, and earnestly contend for
the faith, which they once destroyed.

The prosperous worldlings and secure sinners,
who are settled upon their lees, and at ease in
their possessions, and admire and dote upon their
worldly good, as if it were the chief and only
good, applauding themselves in their portion that
they have in this life, as if they had no need of

812 FOR THE UNCONVERTED.

God, or of heaven : O dear Father, show them
how base is their choice, so to go a whoring from
the Lord; and how sandy the foundation, on
which at present they stand. O make them to
know, that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God ; and that all this world can never either
satisfy the desire, or compensate for the loss, of
an immortal soul. Yea, open their eyes, O Lord,
to see how the fashion of this world passeth away;
and how soon all that, wherein they trust and
delight, will be utterly gone, as if it had never
been. Show them what multitudes, by forsaking
God and cleaving unto mammon, miscarry and
are lost for ever ; drowned in that destruction
and perdition, from whence there is no redemp-
tion. Discover to them whatever may damp their
ardour in the pursuit of this world : that they
may learn to flee from its snares, as for the life of
their souls ; and so leave all for Christ, that they
may not be condemned with the world, but be
saved in the great day of the Lord Jesus.

And such as are loose, and profane, and scan-
dalous in their lives, rebelling against heaven,
and committing all uncleanness with greediness,
scoffing at the followers of Jesus, and deriding all
that is serious and holy, refusing to be ashamed,
and hating to be reformed ; (how dangerous and
desperate soever their case may be,) O Lord our
God, interpose with thine almighty power to
rescue them from destruction, and to pluck them
as brands out of the fire. They are not past thy

FOR INSENSIBLE SINNERS. 313

help and cure ; for thou callest those things that
are not, as if they were ; and canst change the
leopard's spots, and the Ethiopian's skin ; and
canst bring not only something out of nothing,
but the greatest good even out of the worst evil.
O ! where sin has abounded., let thy grace much
more abound. Lord God Almighty, make bare
thine arm, and let signs and wonders be done in
the name of thy holy child, Jesus. Work effec-
tually, we pray thee, to heal the diseases of their
souls ; make them sensible of their guilt and
misery ; that, as prodigals coming to themselves,
they may arise, and go to their Father; and, from
being dead, become alive again ; from being lost,
may be found. O make them yet to turn so
thoroughly from their evil ways, that they may
come to see the beauties of holiness, and delight
to do thy blessed will, O God, and obtain an in-
heritance among them that are sanctified, through
faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR INSENSIBLE SINNERS.

OLORD, the great Almighty God, who quick-
enest the dead, and callest those things that
are not, as if they were ! there is nothing impos-
sible with thee : but the things that resist all the
skill and power of man, are (with the greatest
facility) brought to pass by thine almighty arm.
Thou, the living God, canst speak life to souls

314 FOR INSENSIBLE SINNERS.

that are dead in trespasses and sins ; and canst
make even such as lie in the grave of their habitual
corruptions, to hear the voice of the Son of God,
and live. It is the great work of thy eternal
Spirit, O Lord, to convince the world of sin; and
to make inconsiderate careless sinners to know
themselves, and be concerned, as they ought,
about the welfare of their souls. O that these
poor insensible creatures, who have sinned till
their consciences are seared and past feeling, may
find mercy from the Lord, and may yet come to
feel in themselves the irresistible power of thy
grace ! O that thou wouldst open their eyes, to
see their case ; and soften their hearts, to bewail
their sins ; and turn their course, that they may
flee from the wrath to come ! Blessed Lord,
awaken them with thy terrors, before they be
overtaken by thy judgments ! O break in upon
their souls by thy mighty convictions, to bring
them into bitterness for their sins ; and let thy
quick and powerful word pierce their hearts, to
make them inquire in earnest, what they must do
to be saved.

O that they did but apprehend their case, and
know their transgressions ! that, instead of con-
tinuing unconcerned, (as if nothing were amiss
with them,) and indulging themselves in plea-
sures, (as if they were in the happiest condition,)
they were struck down into the deepest heaviness
and consternation, refusing to be comforted ! O
that they might go mourning all the day long,

FOR SUCH AS DESIRE OUR PRAYERS. 315

yea, even roar for the disquietness of their hearts !
O God of all grace ! be thou pleased in mercy to
show such seeming severity; to write bitter things
against them, and make them confess their former
iniquities; make them to feel now the weight of
all their sins, that they may not feel it eternally,
when past a remedy. Direct and empower thy
messengers, O Lord, to speak to the conviction of
their minds : enable them to cry aloud, and not
spare, and to show thy rebellious creatures their
transgressions and their sins. Yea, make thy word
in the mouth of thy servants as fire, to inflame and
rouse the consciences of such drowsy sinners, that
they may come to perceive what a lost condition
they are in; and be restless in themselves, till,
coming unto Christ, they find rest unto their souls.
O thou almighty God ! do marvellous things,
worthy of thyself, in taking away that which
blinds the minds, and hardens the hearts, of such
stupid creatures ; and bring them out of the worst
lethargy and deadness: that they may under-
stand themselves, and seek after God, and follow
the things which make for their peace, through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen*

A PRAYER FOR ALL THAT DESIRE OUR
PRAYERS.

o

LORD God of the spirits of all flesh ! thy
word requires us to pray for others, as well

316 FOR SUCH AS DESIRE OUR PRAYERS.

as for ourselves; and to call upon tliee as our
common Father in Christ Jesus. And though I
am unworthy to address thy heavenly Majesty
either for myself or others, yet, in the hope of thy
mercy, and under a sense of my duty, I take
upon me to become a humble petitioner to thee,
my Lord, in behalf of all such as desire to be par-
takers of my prayers. O that all of them might
share in thy rich mercies, according to their seve-
ral wants and necessities! They are known to
thee by name ; O let them be known of thee in
the number of thy children. Thou knowest what
they most need, and chiefly desire: O thou gra-
cious giver of all good, answer them in the desires
of their hearts, as far as they desire the things
that are right and good. And, where they desire
what is unfitting and hurtful, convince them of
their error, that they may not persist in it : and,
where they see not the things of their peace, or
are indifferent towards that which is most for
their good, O Lord, show them the saving way,
and grant them an unfeigned love for it, and true
zeal to follow it. Bless them, gracious Father,
with so much of the world's good, as thou know-
est to be good for them : but especially remember
them with the favour which thou bearest to thy
people. Instruct them, Lord, in the knowledge
of thy will; and show them what they must do to
be saved. And make them faithful to practise
according to the light which thou art pleased to
give them : yea, incline their hearts to take plea-

FOR A WOMAN IN TRAVAIL. bl7

sure in the performance of their duty. Bless
them, O God of all grace, with that favour of
thine, in which is life, and with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly things in Christ Jesus.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR A WOMAN IN TRAVAIL.

0 ALMIGHTY Lord God, who bringest to
the birth, and givest strength to bring forth,
show favour, we beseech thee, to thy servant, in.
the time of her need and distress ; and be not far
from her, when trouble is nigh to her, and lies
sore and heavy upon her: but let her experience
thy help, at hand, according to the necessity of
her case. O mitigate her pangs, and support her
under the pain and pressure that are so grievous
to be borne. And grant her, Lord, a timely,
safe, and happy deliverance; and let her see the
fruit of her womb, with such comfort and joy, as
may make her forget her past anguish, and with
a truly thankful heart give glory to thee for all
the rich mercies vouchsafed unto her. But if, in
thine unsearchable wisdom, thou hast ordained
otherwise, and hast decreed that the event should
not correspond with the desires which we have
presumed to express before thee; if thou hast
willed that this expected birth should prove an
occasion of thine handmaid's death, O hear us,
good Lord, (we most earnestly beseech thee), for
her precious soul. Let that be safe in thy

318 FOR A SICK CHILD.

blessed hands : let it be fitted for its appearance
before thy tribunal : and let her experience that
best of all deliverances, a deliverance from all sin
and misery, into the perfection of holiness, and
the fulness of joy; there to live in thy love, and
to sing thy praise for evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR A SICK CHILD.

OGOD of the spirits of all flesh, the only giver
and preserver of life ; the smallest, as well as
the greatest, are thy work and thy care: though
thou art so great, yet thou despisest not any. O
dear Lord, let thy thoughts be full of pity and
tender mercy to this poor sick child, for whose af-
fliction we are now concerned ; and send him that
relief and comfort from above, which none of us
are able to give. Either lighten the load, or in-
crease the strength to bear it ; and deal gently
and graciously with him, good Lord, beyond what
we are worthy to ask at thy hands, even for thy
own goodness and mercy's sake. Spare him, O
Father of mercies, and grant him ease and release
from his trouble: yea, make haste to deliver him,
we beseech thee : and, in submission to thy will,
we beg the recovery of his health, and the con-
tinuance of his life, that he may do thee service,
and bring thee glory, in this present world. But,
forasmuch as children are shapen in iniquity, and
conceived in sin, and are therefore subject to

FOR THE DEJECTED. 319

death ; (which reigns even over them that have
not sinned after the similitude of Adam's trans-
gression ;) if thou art pleased, Lord., to take him
away thus early, O let it be in mercy : and pre-
pare him for thyself, that it may be to him the
greatest gain to die : that he may not only be de-
livered from the miseries and dangers of this
world, and of that which is to come, but, by the
quickest improvement, may be perfected in know-
ledge and grace ; and be made ripe and ready for
heaven and eternal glory. Hear us, O merciful
God and Father, through the merits and me-
diation of thy beloved Son, our compassionate
Saviour : who, in infinite condescension, embraced
and blessed young children ; and who ever lives
at thy right hand to intercede for young and old;
the only prevailing advocate for us all. And to
thy mercy in him, O most gracious God, we com-
mend this afflicted child, beseeching thee to deal
well by him, and be good and kind to him ; and
out of the riches of thy grace, provide for him as
thou seest best, in life, and death, and for ever-
more. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE MELANCHOLY AND
DEJECTED.

OMOST good and gracious Lord ! thou know-
est our frame, and art a God full of com-
passion, ready at all times to pity and relieve thy

820 FOR THE DEJECTED.

servants under all their troubles. Look down,
we humbly pray thee, with thy wonted pity, and
remember, in tender mercy, our disconsolate
friend who is even distracted in suffering thy
terrors. Behold, thy wrath lies hard upon him,
and all thy waves and billows are gone over him ;
so that his mind is grievously oppressed, and he
is altogether unfitted for the regular and com-
fortable discharge of his duty. O thou that
speakest to the winds and waves, and they obey
thee, compose and settle his troubled breast;
speak peace to his soul, that it may no longer be
so disquieted within him ; and give him comfort
and repose under a sense of thy pardoning love.
Lord, help his unbelief, and increase his faith,
that he may not be faithless, but believing.
Though he now walks in darkness and has no
light, let him trust in the name of the Lord,
and stay upon his God. And in the multitude
of the thoughts and sorrows that he has in his
heart, O let thy comforts come in to refresh his
soul. JBe thou pleased, Lord, to ease him of the
load that lies upon his spirit : and cause the beams
of thy heavenly light to scatter all the clouds and
darkness in which his mind is involved. O direct
to the means most proper for his help : and so
bless and prosper them, that they may be effica-
cious to promote his recovery, and to raise him
from this low estate. Incline his ears to whole-
some counsels ; and fashion his heart to receive
due impressions. O gracious Father ! pity his

FOR THE TROUBLED SOUL. 321

frailties and forgive his sins: and heal him, Lord,,
both in soul and body; and so rebuke his disorder,
that his spirits may revive, and his soul return
unto its rest. O raise him up, and make him
whole; yea, make haste, O Lord, to deliver him;
even for thy own mercy's sake in Jesus Christ,
our blessed Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR THE TROUBLED SOUL.

OGOD of the spirits of all flesh ! thou know-
est the grievous torment of a wounded
spirit; and hast promised not to break the bruised
reed3 or quench the smoking flax : have pity,
therefore, upon thy disconsolate servant, whose
spirit is sore broken and overwhelmed within
him : relieve and heal him, O thou gracious God :
comfort him with thy peace ; and show unto his
soul, that thou hast thoughts of love and mercy
towards him. O blessed Jesus, who callest to
thee the labouring and heavy laden sinners, and
promisest them rest for their souls, give some
glimpse of thy mercy, some faith in thy promises,
to this poor troubled soul, that is so cast down
with a sense of his sin, and with a fear of thy
wrath. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt
not despise. O hide not thy face from thy ser-
vant ; nor cast him away from thy presence in

322 FOR THE TROUBLED SOUL.

displeasure ; but speak peace to him, and cause
tiiy grace to shine upon him.

O God of consolation, be thou pleased to cheer
him up with the hope of pardon and acceptance
with thee : give him a comfortable affiance in
thee : give him the witness of thy Spirit with his
spirit, to persuade him that he is thy child, whom
thou lovest though thou chastenest, and whom by
thy terrors thou art preparing for thy consola-
tions. O that he may see love in the rod, and
take it as the chastisement of a kind father, and
not the vengeance of an incensed judge; and that
he may find this humiliation working for his ever-
lasting happiness ! Let him find that they who
mourn are blessed, and shall be comforted ; and
that all who sow in tears shall reap in joy. O
that his sorrow may be the godly sorrow which
works repentance, not to be repented of! Let
it, we pray thee, have this happy issue, and end
iu unspeakable and glorious joy. Let him not
sorrow as one without hope : let him see that
trouble for sin is a preservative from hell ; and
that thousands who are now in glory, went this
very way to heaven, working out their salvation
with fear and trembling; and groaning under the
burden of sin here, that they might not lie under
it for ever. Let him, in the view of thy dealings
with others, learn to commit himself to thee : and
when he walketh in darkness, and hath no light,
let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay
upon his God.

FOR THE LUNATIC. 323

O Lord, rebuke him not in thine anger, neither
chasten him in thy sore displeasure ; but return
and set him free from the heavy pressure now
upon him. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver him
for thy name's sake ; and for thy righteousness*
sake, bring his soul out of trouble. Thou hast
showed him great and sore troubles : be thou
pleased to revive him again, that he may rejoice
in thee. Show him thy mercy, O Lord, and
grant him thy salvation: O refresh him early
with thy mercy, that he may be glad and rejoice
in thee all his days. Let him see that thou con-
siderest his trouble, and knowest his soul in ad-
versity; so shall thy name have the glory, and his
soul the comfort of thy seasonable relief; nor
shall he ever cease to praise thee for thy sweet
abundant mercies to him in thy Son, Jesus
Christ. Amen.

A PKAYEB FOR THE LUNATIC AND
DISTRACTED.

OLORD, the only wise God, thou givest
understanding, and takest it away as thou
pleasest; and thou art holy and righteous in all
that thou ever doest. Though the reason and
meaning of thy works is in many instances un-
known to us, yet thou knowest well what thou
hast to do ; and we must be dumb, and not open
our mouths,, assured that it is thy doing. The

324 FOR THE LUNATIC.

stroke which thou hast laid upon thy poor crea-
ture, would be just, if inflicted upon any of us :
and we must acknowledge it as owing to thy
mercy alone, that we are not all reduced to simi-
lar or greater misery. But, O merciful Father,
suffer us to address thee in his behalf, and to im-
plore thy mercy for him in this his pitiable con-
dition. Thou madest him out of nothing ; and
gavest to him that measure of sense and discre-
tion, which he once enjoyed : thou canst with
equal ease renew him in the spirit of his mind,
and restore to him the faculties which are now
so awfully impaired.

O dispel the clouds in which now his soul is
wrapped up ; that he may come to himself, and
exercise a sound understanding, and seek the
things belonging to his peace. Have pity on him,
0 Lord, we beseech thee, and impute not unto
him anything that is now said or done amiss by
him; but in mercy pass it by, as if it had not been
said or done at all.

O that thou wouldst direct to some means for
his recovery; and make him tractable in the use
of remedies, and willing to comply with the advice
of his friends, till he shall be in a capacity to
think and act for himself. And where no means
will effect a cure, do thou (who never art at a
loss, but knowest how to deliver out of the most
desperate condition) reveal thine arm, and bring
salvation from above. Do a work that shall be
worthy of thy glorious Majesty ; and command

FOR THE LIGHT-HEADED. 325

such a deliverance as nothing but the knowledge
of thine infinite power and unbounded mercy
could warrant us to hope for. Interpose for us,,
O Lord our God, in this great extremity; and we
will for ever glorify thy name for this, and all
other thy mercies to us in Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR ONE THAT IS STUPIFIED

OR LIGHT-HEADED.

OTHOU great Maker and Preserver of men,
who knowrest how soon our senses may fail
us, and our understanding depart from us : and
to what accidents, distempers, and decays our
weak nature is liable, even such as may make the
most acute and judicious to become as a child or
idiot, and turn all our wisdom and ingenuity into
folly or frenzy ; we are every one of us in thy
hands, O Lord, to be used as thou wilt ; to have
our speech and sense, yea, our very breath and
life, taken away, when thou pleasest. Thou art
righteous in all that comes upon us ; and who
shall say unto thee, What doest thou? Yet,
even in chastening and correcting, thou dost not
forget thy mercy and compassion; but biddest us
to call upon thee in our troubles ; and art still
attentive to the prayers of thy servants: yea,
waitest to be gracious, and wilt not let them seek
thy face in vain. Hear us, O Father of mercies,
we beseech thee : and let thy mercy now be

326 FOR THE LIGHT-HEADED.

showed to thy poor weak distempered servant,
according to the exigence of his case^ in this time
of his need. Thou, O God, who hast created
men's faculties, canst as easily restore them, and
give light and understanding to the simple ; and
supply and rectify everything that is defective
and amiss. O that thou wouldst be pleased gra-
ciously and powerfully to interpose in the present
case ! Repair the breaches made upon thy ser-
vant ; and give him sense and apprehension suffi-
cient to discern the state of his soul, and to see
the things belonging to his peace.

Thou, Lord Almighty, (who didst command the
light to shine out of darkness, and often bringest
order and beauty even out of confusion and defor-
mity ;) thou canst lighten the darkest mind, and
regulate the wildest imagination; yea, thou canst
speak immediately to the heart, and canst convey
all suitable relief, where all avenues of instruc-
tion are shut against us. O God of all power
and love, wilt thou speak to the soul of thy ser-
vant, so that it may observe thy voice : and seize
that precious jewel for thine own, that it may be
safe in thy hands. Lord, help and assist him,
where we cannot; and accomplish in him the
great work of thy grace, which is necessary for
his everlasting salvation. O have pity upon his
infirmities; and be merciful to his mistakes and
failings, his rovings and follies. Give him, gra-
cious God, a broken penitent heart, and a believ-
ing, willing mind: and then accept him in thy

FOR THE BLIND. 327

beloved Son, according to what he hath : and, of
thy rich grace, give him an entrance into thine
everlasting kingdom, where he may see light in
thy light, and joyfully give thee praise and glory
to all eternity. Be gracious, O good Lord, and
indulgent to him: and do all that thou knowest
to be needful and good for him, through the
merits of thy dear Son, who took part of our flesh
and blood, that he might be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities. And to thy mercy, in
that our merciful and faithful High Priest, we
commit this infirm member of his mystical body;
beseeching thee, O blessed Lord our God, to
show thyself unto him a compassionate and tender
Father, in the same Jesus Christ our only Saviour.
Amen.

A PRAYER FOR A BLIND MAN.

OLORD our God, thou art light, and in thee
is no darkness at all. Thou hast created
the light, and the sun : and givest both the power
of seeing, and objects to be seen. It is a pleasant
thing to behold the light: but of that sweet
benefit thou hast thought fit to deprive thy ser-
vant. O blessed be thy name, even when thou
takest away, as well as when thou givest: for
thou art wise, and just, and good in all. Every
thing that happens to us is of thine appointment,
O Lord, who hast made us, and mayst do what
thou wilt with thy own. There is no unright-

328 FOR THE BLIND.

eousness with thee : but whatever thou dost, is
meet and right to be done. And though thy
providential ways are in the great deep, and thy
footsteps are often hid from our view, (even as
thy visible works are from the sight of thy ser-
vant,) yet, Lord, thou art gracious in all that
thou bringest upon us ; and canst bring the great-
est good even out of the worst evil that befalls
us. And one glimpse of thee by faith will be
infinitely better to thy servants than their eyes,
and all the things that ever eyes beheld.

Thy servant here desires, with meekness and
patience to submit to thy heavy stroke ; amj
confesses, that thou art just, in quenching that
light of his eyes, whioh he did not use, as he
ought, to thy glory.

But wilt thou, O gracious Lord, in judgment
remember mercy : and bless to him this deep
affliction ; that it may promote his repentance and
peace with God, and may cut off all those occa-
sions of stumbling send falling, which our bodily
sight too often lays before us, and which would
be infinitely more injurious than any to which his
present darkness may expose him. O that, being
freed from the temptations which enter in at the
eyes, he may be the better able to attend upon
the Lord without distraction ; and be more care-
ful in inspecting the state of his soul. Lord, as
thou hast showed thy sovereignty and thy justice
in taking away his sight, so let thy power and
mercy be displayed in ministering comforts to his

FOR THE BLIND. 329

soul, and supporting him with cheerfulness and
contentment under his heavy loss; that so he
may be a gainer by it in his spiritual affairs, and
in the things that belong to his everlasting bliss.
Bring him out of darkness into thy marvellous
light: and then, however he may want the light
of this world, his soul shall be light in the Lord.
O thou Father of lights, enlighten the eyes of
his understanding, that he may see what is the
hope of thy calling, and what the riches of the
glory of thy inheritance in the saints, and what
the mighty power of thy Spirit, which works in
them that believe. Now that he cannot behold
the things which are visible and temporal, O that
he may be more earnest in looking after the things
\vhich are unseen and eternal. Enable him to be
looking unto Jesus, and studying the mysteries of
salvation, the wonders of thy love, and the glories
of thy kingdom. O thou giver of all grace ! give
him the eye of faith, to see him that is invisible,
whom no mortal eye hath seen, or can see. Dis-
cover thyself to him still more and more, and
reveal thy Son in him. And let thy good Spirit,
as a Counsellor and Comforter, still abide in him ;
and bring to his mind all things that shall make
for his edification and encouragement in thy holy
ways. Have compassion upon him, O Lord, and
be gracious and merciful unto him ; and do all
that thou knowest to be needful and good for
him. Lead him, and help him on, continually;
till in thy light he shall see light ; and his eyes

330 UNDER GRIEVOUS PAINS.

be opened to see the splendour of thy kingdom,
and the joy of thy salvation ; yea, to see thee as
thou art, in that heavenly presence of thine,
where is fulness of joy for evermore. Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER GRIEVOUS PAINS.

OLORD, thou art a merciful God, and dost
not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children
of men : but when the necessity of our case re-
quires it, thou chastisest us for our profit, that we
may be partakers of thy holiness. Blessed is the
man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest
him out of thy law ! O let thy servant find that
this affliction is sent in mercy to his soul ! and
now that thy hand is so hard upon him, and that
thou hast cast him into so severe a furnace, O
that it may be the means of purging out his dross,
and of fitting him for thy service. O that he
may learn such things in the school of affliction,
as may promote thy work within him, and do
him good for ever.

But thou, O God of consolation, who knowest
our frame, and how little we can endure, even
though we deserve so much, be pleased to re-
member him in mercy ; and either lighten his
sufferings, or increase his spiritual strength; and,
if thou do not see fit entirely to remove his bur-
then, O enable him to bear what thou art pleased
to lay upon him. Lord, all his desire is before

UNDER GRIEVOUS PAINS. 331

thee, and his groaning is not hid from thee : O
regard his affliction when thou nearest his cry :
and enter not into judgment with him, according
to his desert ; but according to thy mercy remem-
ber thou him, for thy goodness7 sake in Christ
Jesus. O gracious Father,, sanctify to him what
thou hast laid upon him : that the present sore
evil may have a comfortable issue, and work for
his spiritual and eternal good. Lord of all power
and might, support and bear him up under it ;
and bring him safely and happily out of it, to the
rejoicing of thy servant, and to the glory of thy
name. And however thou shalt deal with him,
O good Lord, suppress every murmuring or re-
pining thought that may arise in his mind : and
let him never so sin, as to charge God foolishly :
make him to see that thou dost nothing but what
is most righteous and fit to be done ; yea, nothing
but what thy servant himself shall see cause to
bless thee for at a future period. Teach and help
him to glorify thee at the time of his visitation ;
teach him to honour thee by an humble submis-
sion to thy will, a patient abiding of thy rod, and
a faithful reformation of his heart and life ; that
so thou mayst return to him with the visitations
of thy love, and show him the joy of thy salva-
tion, for thy own mercy's sake in Christ Jesus,
Amen.

332 UNDER LINGF.EING SICKNESS.

A PRAYER UNDER LINGERING SICKNESS.

OGOOD God, thou hast long kept thy servant
under thy chastening hand ; thou hast made
him acquainted with grief, and his sickness is
become even as his familiar companion. Yet, O
blessed Lord, grant that he may not think it long
to wait thy leisure, when thou art pleased to wait
so long for the return of sinners, and art ever
pitiful and of tender mercy ; having the kindest
intentions even in thy bitterest dispensations.
Teach him, O gracious Father, to see love, as
well as justice, in all thy dealings : that he may
humble himself under thy mighty hand, and con-
fess that it is good for him to be afflicted. Con-
vince him, O Lord, that wh^m thou lovest thou
chastenest, and scourgest every son whom thou
receivest : and enable him patiently to wait for
thee, in an assured expectation that he shall one
day see cause to number his afflictions amongst
his richest mercies.

Blessed be thy name, O Father of mercies, that
thou dost not pour out all thy wrath, but in judg-
ment rememberest mercy : we bless thee for giv-
ing him some ease and relaxation from torturing
pains ; and for mingling many sweet ingredients
with this bitter cup. O make him so sensible of
thy kindness and love, that he may be not only
contented, but thankful under thy hand.

Yet, that his faith may not fail, nor his pati-

UNDER DANGEROUS SICKNESS. 333

ence be wearied out, return, O Lord of love, at
the last, and give thy servant a discharge from
this warfare; arid say to the affliction, It is enough.
Make him glad, according to the time wherein
thou hast afflicted him, and wherein he has suf-
fered adversity. And till thou hast been pleased
to remember him in such mercy, O grant that he
may neither despise thy chastening, nor faint
under thy rebukes; but take all as he ought:
employing the time which thou lendest, and im-
proving the affliction which thou continuest, as a
gracious opportunity for his soul's advantage.
Under the decays of his outer man, let his inner
man be renewed day by day ! and let all that is
wanting in his spiritual concerns be filled up, and
whatever pertains to his everlasting salvation be
promoted and perfected through the riches of thy
grace, and the multitude of thy mercies in Jesus
Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER UNDER DANGEROUS SICKNESS.

OLORD God, almighty and ever blessed, in
whom we ever live, and move, and are ! we
acknowledge it to be of thy mercies that we are
not consumed, even because thy compassions fail
not. If thou hadst long since cut us off in our
sins, and shut us up under final despair of mercy,
yet rigateous hadst thou been, O Lord, and just,
and good. Yea, justly mightst thou at this time

334 UNDER DANGEROUS SICKNESS.

cast out our prayers, and refuse to hear thy rebel-
lious creatures, who have so long turned a deaf
ear to thee. But thou art God, and not man;
and thy thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor
thy ways as our ways; but as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are thy thoughts and
ways above ours. Thou art our refuge and
strength, and present help in every time of need:
and thou hast commanded us to call upon thee in
our troubles; and hast promised to hear us, and
to give us cause to praise and glorify thee for thy
goodness and mercy to us.

And now we come to thee, O Lord our God,
in behalf of this thy servant, that lies here in a
low and distressed state under thy chastising
hand. Look down, we beseech thee, mercifully
upon him : arid be gracious and favourable to him,
according to the necessity of his case, and accord-
ing to the multitude of thy tender mercies in
Christ Jesus. Great as his danger is, if thou
wilt, O Lord, thou canst set him up, and make
him whole; if thou but speak the word, it shall
be done. In submission to thy most wise and
righteous disposal of all things, we would beg
this mercy at thy hands; that thou wouldst be
pleased to rebuke his distemper, to remove thy
stroke, and cause the bitter cup which thou hast
given to pass away from him. To this end do
thou direct us to the means proper for his help ;
and command a blessing upon them. Spare him,
good Lord, and restore him, (if it be thy will,)

UNDER DANGEROUS SICKNESS. 335

that he may have a longer time to work out his
salvation, and be more useful in his place., and do
more good in his generation. Or, however thou
shalt be pleased to deal with him as to the con-
cerns of his body, (which we pray may be in a
way of gentleness and tender mercy,) yet, Lord,
let his soul be ever precious in thy sight. And
may this sickness of his body be for the health of
his better and immortal part, and be instrumental
to advance his everlasting salvation.

O give him a right discerning of the things
belonging to his peace, before they be hid from
his eyes. Show him what he has to do, and en-
able him for the doing of it, that he may have
peace with God, through Christ Jesus. Give
him repentance towards God, and faith in the
only Saviour of the world. Wash and cleanse
his soul with the blood of thy Son, and the
graces of thy Spirit: that it may be delivered
from all the defilements which it has contracted
in this present evil world ; and be found safe and
happy in the hour of death, and in the great day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Fit him, O Lord, for
living or dying, or whatever, in thy wise and
righteous providence, thou hast designed for him;
that it may be unto him, Christ to live, and gain
to die : and that in all things he may find cause
to glorify thy name. If thou shalt be pleased to
release him from his bed of languishing, and to
add to him a yet further term of life, O that he
may live to thee, and to do thee better service.

S3G FOR A DYING MAN.

and bring tnee greater glory ! Or, if thou hast
determined that this sickness shall be unto death,
prepare him, O merciful God, by thy grace, for
thy blessed self: and grant him a safe and com-
fortable passage out of this wretched life to an
infinitely better; through the merits and media-
tion of thy beloved Son, our only Saviour, Jesus
Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER FOR A DYING MAN PAST HOPE
OF RECOVERY.

OTHE hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in
time ©f trouble! when all other hope and
help fails, it is not in vain to seek unto thee for
succour, who canst bring back from the mouth of
the grave, and quicken the very dead: and where
thou art not pleased any further to prolong the
temporal life, yet canst deliver from eternal death,
and bring safe to blessedness and glory. We
think it too late to beg the recovery of thy ser-
vant, O Lord, now that he seems to us going the
way of all flesh, and just launching forth into his
everlasting condition. But though the time of
his departure appears to be at hand, yet we can-
not think it too late to beg thy mercy for him, as
long as his life is in him. And as we cannot but
be greatly concerned for him, so we know not
how better to express this our concern for him.

FOR A DYING MAN. 337

tlian in beseeching thee to be good and gracious
unto him.

O Lord our God, leave him not, nor forsake
him : but support and assist him now in his sorest
extremities, in his last agonies, when he is to
conflict with the king of terrors: let him find the
most sweet and seasonable aids from thee, the
God of his salvation : and take him not out of this
life, till thou hast f! .ted him for a better. O thou
ever-living God, stand by him in the dying hour;
and secure him in thy hands from the enemies of
his soul : and finish all that is wanting of the
work of thy grace upon his heart. Freely and
fully pardon, and deliver him from all his sins :
and fit him to appear with comfort and rejoicing
in thy blessed presence. O make his departure
easy, and full of peace and hope. Carry him safe
through the valley of the shadow of death, and
let him find a joyful admission into the everlast-
ing kingdom of his Lord. Into thy hands, O
Lord, we commend his spirit : O thou Father of
mercies, be merciful to him, and receive his de-
parting soul ; and when he is numbered among
the dead, let him be also numbered among the
redeemed and blessed of the Lord ; for his sake,
who (himself) died for sinners, and rose again,
and lives, and is alive for evermore, and has the
keys of death and of hell. To thy mercy, in that
blessed Saviour of the world, O most merciful
Father, we now humbly recommend him ; be-
seeching thee to be all in all to him, and infinitely
22

338 THANKSGIVINGS FOR

better than we are worthy or able to ask for him.
And let him be thine in life, and death, and for
evermore, through the all-sufficient merits and
mediation of thy dear Son, our most prevailing
Advocate and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

THANKSGIVINGS FOB TEMPOKAL BLESSINGS.

RACIOUS God, the bountiful Provider of all
VJT good things ! the eyes of all wait upon thee;
and thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire
of every living thing. Every year thou renewest
the face of the earth ; and givest rain from heaven,
and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food
and gladness. O how many of thy creatures have
bestowed their labours, and lost their lives, and
been consumed, to clothe and sustain and gratify
us ! At what vast expense art thou continually,
to maintain the whole world of creatures, that
everywhere hang upon thee for life and breath
and all things! yet thou art not weary of doing
us good ; but still showerest down blessings plen-
tifully upon us, to provide, not only necessaries,
(to keep us alive,) but also a variety of comforts,
to make our lives happy and desirable. Yea,
thou delightest in mercy, and hast pleasure in the
prosperity of thy servants; and makest us now to
find, by our own happy experience,, how abun-
dantly good and kind thou art.

TEMPORAL BLESSINGS. 339

FOR RAIN.

OLORD, thou hast sent a gracious rain upon
thine inheritance, to refresh the dry and
thirsty land, that it might bring forth fruit, and
yield to us the desired increase. O that men
would praise thee for thy goodness, and for such
thy wonderful works to the children of men! O
bounteous and ever-blessed God, to thy name be
all the glory, now and for evermore.

FOR FAIR WEATHER.

LORD, thou hast in mercy shut the windows
of heaven, and put a stop to the overflowing
showers, that threatened to destroy the fruits of
the earth : and hast caused this sweet and com-
fortable change, to refresh thy unworthy servants,
and to make all the creatures rejoice in thy good-
ness. Blessed be our God, that deals so graciously
with us : and glory be to thy name, thou merciful
deliverer from all evil and giver of all good. Let
the people praise thee, O God; let all the people
praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her in-
crease: and God, even our own God_, shall give
us his blessing

FOR THE CESSATION OF INFECTION.

OTHOU great Preserver of men ! thou hast
delivered our souls from the hand of the
grave; and kept us alive, that we should not go

340 THANKSGIVINGS FOR -

down to the pit. The jaws of death were open
upon us, and we went with our lives in our hands;
our hearts failing us for fear of the destruction
that raged amongst us, when the very air, which
we drew in to give us life, was to so many the sad
messenger of death. Yet when thousands fell on
every side of us, we have dwelt in the secret place
of the Most High, and (under the shadow of the
Almighty) have been kept in safety. O what
shall we say, and what shall we give unto thee,
who art our present help, and only Saviour in
times of trouble ! we are every way thine, O Lord ;
and to thee only be all the glory. We bless thee,
our God, as those that are made alive from the
dead. And O that the lives which have been
given us at our request, may be devoted wholly
unto thee, and be spent in thy service; O that
we may love, and serve, and praise our God,
while we have our being.

FOR THE RESTORATION OF PX.ENTY

OGOD, the fountain of all goodness ! thou didst
threaten to destroy the fruits of the earth,
which we have so wickedly abused : but, for
thine own mercy's sake, thou hast raised at last
for us a new and plentiful supply, and hast
crowned the year with thy goodness. O make
us more sensible of the obligation which thy love
lias laid upon us. And as thou fillest us with
thy good things, so fill our hearts with thy grace,

TEMPORAL BLESSINGS. 341

that we may use every gift aright to thy glory :
and that in the use and strength of what we are
continually receiving from thee, we may devote
ourselves altogether unto thee ; and serve thee
with gladness and joy fulness of heart for the
abundance thou hast given us, and for all thy
rich mercies to us in Jesus Christ.

FOR VICTORY OVER OUR ENEMIES.

0 ALMIGHTY Lord, the most high God/
who rulest in the kingdoms of men, and
dost whatsoever thou pleasest in heaven and in
earth ! In thy hand is power and might, so that
none is able to withstand thee, It is thou that
givest salvation unto kings, that deliverest thy
servants from the sword. Thou hast saved us
from our enemies, and put them to shame that
hated us. It was not by our own power or con-
duct, that we have been so prosperous ; nor did
our own sword or arm save us ; but thy riglit
hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy coun-
tenance, because thou hadst a favour unto us
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power
and the glory, and the victory. The Lord is our
strength and our song, and is become our salva-
tion. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee,
and praise thy glorious name. And O what
cause of thankfulness have we, that we were not
delivered into the hand of our enemies, and given
over for a prey unto their teeth ! Great indeed

342 FOR TEMPORAL BLESSINGS.

Las been thy mercy to us, O blessed Lord : and
to thee alone be the whole praise and glory. O
make us more sensible of thy goodness to us in
this time of our need : and give us grace still to
keep the memory of it in our minds, and abun-
dantly to utter it in songs of praise. O thou
I >rd of hosts, who hast given us such safety and
good success teach us, we pray thee, rightly to
improve these undeserved mercies; that being
delivered from the hands of our enemies, we may
serve thee, in holiness and righteousness before
thee, all the days of our life. Suffer us not to
act as if we were delivered to commit abomina-
tions ; but, demeaning ourselves as the redeemed
of the Lord, O let us love, and trust, and bless,
and praise thee, the enly giver of all victory, for
ever and ever.

FOR PEACE.

OGOD of peace., that makest wars to cease to
the ends of the earth ; that breakest the
bow, and cuttest the spear asunder, and burnest
the chariot in the fire ! thou hast in mercy put a
stop to the effusion of blood, and made peace in
our borders : thou hast rebuked the nations ; and
caused them to beat their swords into plough-
shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; that
every man might sit under his own vine and fig-
tree, none making him afraid. O how sweet is
thy mercy, and reviving, even as life from the

FOR A THANKSGIVING DAY. 343

dead ! And thou, Lord, who hast given us peace,
O give us also grace, to use it to thy glory, and
to walk the more freely and cheerfully in thy
holy ways. And let us not only have peace with
men, but also with thee, our God : even that
peace which passeth all understanding, which
shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus.

O that we may be sensible of the kindness and
love of God our Saviour, and ever give thee
thanks with all our souls ! Dear Father of mer-
cies ! rather take all our good things from us, than
leave us in a state of base ingratitude and stupid
indifference. O let our hearts be enlarged in thy
love, and be lifted up in the celebration of thy
praises ! and may ail thy works and all thy ser-
vants bless thee, and praise thee for ever ! And
may we have grace to express the thankfulness
of our hearts, in the whole conduct of our lives ;
devoting ourselves to thee in faithfulness, as long
as we have any being. Amen, and Amen.

PRAYER AND PRAISE FOR A PUBLIC
THANKSGIVING DAY.

BLESSED Lord, the only living and true
God, the Creator and Preserver of all
things ! We live by thee ; and our whole de-
pendance is upon thee, for all the good that we
either have or hope for. We now desire to bless

344 FOll A THANKSGIVING DAY.

thy name for those mercies,, which in so large a
measure thou hast been pleased to vouchsafe unta
us. We desire to pay unto thee that tribute o»
homage and service, of prayer and praise, which
thou hast made us capable of, and so many ways
obliged us to : and we would perform the same
in such a manner, that thou mayst mercifully ac-
cept both our persons and our services, at the
hands of Jesus Christ.

Worthy art thou, O Lord our God, to receive
all honour and glory, all thanks and praise, and
love and obedience, as in the courts of heaven, so
in all the assemblies of thy servants upon earth :
for thou art great, and dost wondrous things ;
thou art God alone. Thou hast been favourable
to thy land, and dealt exceedingly graciously with
us. Thou hast not suffered all the evils that
threatened us, to come upon us ; nor those which
have come upon us, utterly to destroy us. In-
stead of giving us over to all the calamities that
we feared, thou hast multiplied thy mercies
towards us, for which we are now called to so-
lemnize a day of thanksgiving. Of a truth, O
Lord, thy compassions fail not ; and thy mercy
endureth for ever. Thou art gracious and mer-
ciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.

O how much have we to say of the goodness
of the Lord by our own experience ; and of the
succour thou hast afforded us in every time of
need ! How sweet and wonderful is it to recount
all the instances of thy patience with us, and thy

FOR A THANKSGIVING DAY. 345

bounty to us ! How from time to time thou hast
signalized us with thy mercy, and enriched us
with thy favours ! Thou hast cast our lot in a
land of light : where we live under the influences
of thy gospel, and are called to obtain the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thou hast bestowed
on us and our land so many advantages, that thou
hast made us the envy of surrounding nations,
and distinguished us in a peculiar manner as the
objects of thy favour. Though many times we
have provoked thee to stretch forth thy hand,
and shake thy rod over us, yet in judgment, thou
hast still remembered mercy ; and after the clouds
and darkness that have gathered about us^ and
the distress and terror that were on every side,
thou hast caused the heavens again to clear up,
and smile upon us ; and returned with the visi-
tations of thy love, and the joy of thy salvation.

In the late dangers, thou hast been to us a
tower of defence ; and in the time of our need
and perplexity, thou hast shown thyself graciously
and powerfully on our side. Thou hast helped
us for the glory of thy name, and redeemed us for
thy mercy's sake ; not because we were worthy,
but because thou hadst a favour unto us : and
therefore to thy name alone be all the praise. O
what shall we render to the Lord for all his
benefits ! O let not our hearts be straitened
towards thee, whose hand has been so open and
bounteous unto us. But do thou enlarge these
hearts of ours, and fill them with more love and

346 FOR A SAFE AND GOOD JOURNEY.

thankfulness to the gracious giver of all our good
things. And make us more sensible of thy good-
ness and love bestowed upon us : that we may
give thee thanks from the ground of the heart ;
arid have our mouths filled as with marrow and
fatness, while we praise thee with joyful lips.

O make us a truly thankful, as we are a highly
indebted, people. And let us not only speak of
thy loving-kindness, O Lord, but glorify thy name
in bearing much fruit : fruit answerable to the
mercy and encouragement which we have received
at thy hands. We can never enough admire and
magnify the riches of thy grace, and the multi-
tude of thy mercies : but, O good Lord, enable
us still more to love thee, and better to serve
thee ; and in so doing for us, thou wilt still fur-
ther oblige us: because in loving and serving
thee, we most effectually serve our own best in-
terests. As our minds cannot but muse, and our
tongues speak of thy works, so let our lives be
spent in thy service : that thou, the great and
blessed God, mayst in all things be glorified by
us, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

THANKSGIVING AFTER A SAFE AND GOOD
JOURNEY.

ALL thanks and praise that I am able to ren^
der, is a debt that I owe unto thee, O Lord,
my God : and I desire with all my soul to pay it,

FOR A SAFE AND GOOD JOURNEY. 347

for that goodness of thine, which I have expe-
rienced throughout my journey. Thou hast not
only been nigh to me, and watchful to secure me
from the perils of the way, and the many evil
accidents that might have befallen me, but hast
surrounded me with blessings and comforts on
every side. At every turn and every step, I have
been exposed to evils. I might now have been
groaning under broken bones, or bruised limbs :
yea, I might have been cut off, and have perished
in the way ; I might have lost not only health
and strength, but life itself: but thou, Lord,
hast in mercy preserved and kept me in safety ;
and brought me to see my habitation in peace,
and to find all things according to my heart's de-
sire.

A horse is a vain thing for safety ; and nothing
upon earth can we confide in, to defend us: if
thou, O blessed Keeper of Israel, dost not cover
us under the shadow of thy wings, and give thine
angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways,
no other power whatever can preserve us. But
such invisible guards have I had ; and such fa-
vour have I found from thee, 0 Lord. Thy
mercy and thy goodness which have followed me
all the days of my life, have been renewed afresh,
and further manifested to me, in these my travels.
Arid, O how inexhaustible is the kindness and
bounty of my Lord, who is never weary of doing
me good ! To thee, O God of my life, and safety,
and comfort, to thee be all the glory. O fill me

348 THANKSGIVING FOR PRESERVATION.

with a most grateful sense of thy continued mer-
cies. And give me a heart abounding with thank-
fulness, and with thy love and praises : yea, give
me also grace to express the unfeigned thanks of
my heart, in all the ways that are pleasing to thy
holy will, through the beloved of thy soul, my
blessed Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

THANKSGIVING FOR PRESERVATION

AND DELIVERANCE FROM DANGERS AND TROUBLES.

MANY, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful
works which thou hast done, and thy
thoughts which are to usward for good ; they can-
not be reckoned up in order unto thee : if I
should declare and speak of them, they are more
than can be numbered. According to thy name,
so is thy praise, to the ends of the earth. The
dead praise thee not, nor any that go down into
silence : the living, the living, he shall praise
thee, as I desire with all my soul to do this day.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed : I
will sing and give praise. I will be glad and
rejoice in thee, and sing praise to thy name,
O thou Most High. I will praise thee, O Lord,
for thou hast heard me, and art become my sal-
vation. I found trouble and sorrow: then I called
upon thee ; and thou wast attentive to my cry,
and nigh to my help. And though thou mightst
have made me an example of thy judgments to

THANKSGIVING FOR PRESERVATION. 349

others, as others have been to me, thou didst not
consult my deserts, but my distress ; doing great
things, and working strange deliverance for me,
not because I was worthy, but because thou
aboundest in mercy.

I was in woful perplexity : fear was on every
side, all my hope was ready to expire, and I
thought there was no help for me ; but that I
must sink and perish. Then didst thou, O Lord,
interpose between me and the threatening mis-
chief; and didst reveal thy glorious arm, to pluck
me out of the jaws of destruction : and didst set
me at liberty from my fears, and in safety from
my dangers. Thou hast kept me alive, and
restored my comforts ; not taking me away in
the midst of my days, nor cutting me off untimely
from the land of the living; but sparing me in
mercy, and giving me, as it were, a new life from
the dead. Thou hast chastened me, but not given
me over unto death. When my foot slipped, thy
mercy, O Lord, held me up. Thou art the God
that dost wonders; wonders of power, and won-
ders of mercy. Yea, thy kindness and thy help
at hand, in the time of my need, has been greater
than I am able to express.

Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy
work : I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of
thy mercy. For thou hast been my support and
my refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee,
O my strength, I will sing; for thou art my

350 THANKSGIVING FOR PRESERVATION.

defence, and the God of my mercy. O Lord God,
merciful and gracious ; I will extol thee, who
hast not suffered the trouble and danger to over-
whelm and ruin me. In my distress I cried unto
thee, and thou hast enlarged me. O blessed be
my God, who hast not cast out my prayer, nor
taken his mercy from me. But, dearest Lord !
I cannot, without amazement, look back upon the
perilous state that I was in, and the brink of ruin
to which I was brought. And that I should
escape, as I have done, O how marvellous is it in
my eyes ! What cause have I for thy praise, that
I am here alive to praise thee! O my God, it is
thy good hand that hath wrought so wonderfully
for me, and thy fatherly kindness that has shown
such extraordinary favour to me. O! if I had
been snatched away unprepared, how dreadful a
change should I have found ! But in mercy and
love to my soul (I give thee glory), thou hast
made a way for my escape : and I am preserved
a living monument of thy unspeakable goodness.
O what shall I say unto thee, whose name is
exalted far above all blessing and praise ! and
what shall I render unto thee, to whom my good-
ness will not extend ! I can never answer the
obligations which thy love, dear Lord, has laid
upon me : but let me admire and love, and bless
and praise thee, with all the faculties and powers
which thou hast given me. And O that thou
wouldst imprint so deeply on my heart a sense of
thy mercy, that I may never forget, never slight,

AFTER A SAFE DELIVER Y. 351

never abuse the great goodness that thou hast
shown me, and the signal deliverance which thou
hast wrought for me; but may ever give thee
thanks with all my heart; and walk, as becomes
me, all the days of my Ife ; not secure and care-
less, because I have so escaped; but the more
watchful and diligent, in proportion to the mercies
vouchsafed unto me : approving my thankfulness
in such a manner, as that thou mayst graciously
accept me through rny blessed Lord and Saviour
Je^us Christ.

A THANKSGIVING AFTER A SAFE DELIVERY.

BLESSED for ever be thy name, O Lord, our
gracious God, who rememberest us in our
low estate, and dost not abhor the affliction of
the afflicted ; but hearest thy servants crying to
thee in their distress, and sendest relief and help
in time of need ! O that we may praise thee,
Lord, as we ought, for such thy goodness and
wonderful works to the children of men ! Thou
bringest down and raisest up; thougivest trouble
and sendest help from trouble; thou afflictest us
with fears and griefs, and again revivest us with
hopes and joys. Thou, O God, art good in all,
and worthy to be admired and praised in every
dispensation of thy providence. But chiefly we
are affected with thy seasonable aids in time of
trial ; when thou givest us beauty for ashes, the

352 AFTER RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS.

oil of joy for mourning, and the garments of
praise for trie spirit of heaviness. Thou hast now
(for ever blessed be thy name !) refreshed thine
afflicted handmaid, and rejoiced the souls of thy
servants. We desire therefore to offer unto thee,
O gracious Lord, our devoutest acknowledg-
ments, and present unto thee the sacrifice of our
unfeigned thanks and praise. O that thine
handmaid, and all of us, may be duly sensible of
this favour, which has been to us as life from the
dead. May thy great goodness lead us to re-
pentance : and may this fresh instance of thy
love constrain us to love thee with all our hearts,
and to render to thee the services of our lives,
and to give thee all possible glory, both now and
evermore. Amen.

THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER

AFTER RECOVERY OUT OP A DANGEROUS SICKNESS.

OGOD of my life, in whose hand my breath
is, and by whom all men do live, and have
their days prolonged or shortened, I was brought
low, and ready to think that thou wouldst now
cut me off, and make an end of my days upon
earth: I counted myself so nigh unto death, that
I expected every day, when that last enemy
which lay in wait for me, would come and seize
upon me. But thou, Lord, hast graciously dis-
appointed my fears and rescued me from his

AFTER RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS. 353

hands, and raised me up to walk again before
thee in the land of the living. Though thou
broughtest me even to the mouth of the grave,
yet hast thou brought me back ; that the pit of
corruption should not swallow me up. And thou
that gavest me life at first, hast now given it to
me afresh. To thee therefore, O my God, I de-
sire with all my soul to give thee praise. O
blessed be my great Preserver, the dear and only
Saviour of my body as well as soul, the God of
my health, my heavenly Physician, my life, and
the length of my days ! O that I may live to
declare the works of the Lord, and set forth the
honour of his name! Let me never look upon
my extended life as an occasion to the flesh, to
enjoy my liberty and pleasure upon earth ; but as
an engagement on my heart, to abound in grati-
tude, and love, and praise, and all faithful duty,
and cheerful obedience to my gracious God.

In mercy to my soul, O Lord, thou hast pro-
longed my life, and given me space to repent;
that by correcting what was amiss, and filling up
what was wanting, in my spiritual estate, I might
be more ready for the arrival of the bridegroom,
more ready to give up my account to thee. O
that my life being now renewed, I may henceforth
live as one restored from the dead; and retain
such an abiding sense of eternity upon my mind,
as may keep me unwearied in my preparations
for it.

It is only a reprieve that is now granted to me :
23

354 AFTER RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS.

my death is a debt to nature which I must pay,
I cannot avoid it: death will yet certainly take
hold of me; and I know not how soon: the grave
is my house, where, after all, I must make my
habitation, and go to rottenness and dust: yea,
when I least think of it, how suddenly may I be
cutoff!

O then let me not live as if I should never see
death; nor put it far from me, as if it should never
arrive; nor reckon upon any sure standing, or
long abiding, in such a changeable transitory
world, that is but the house of our pilgrimage,
and not the place of our rest. But, since dust
I am, and to dust I must return, O help me,
Lord, so to remember and consider my death, that
I may be the better for it in all the course and
conduct of my life! Enable me to walk with
such wise and holy circumspection, and so to
order all my conversation in the world, that when
I close my eyes upon this present scene of things
I may depart hence full of peace, and hope, and
joy. And for my recovery, and such health as I
enjoy at present, O let me pay my vows to the
Lord; and from the ground of my heart, ascribe
to thee. the God of my salvation, all glory, thanks,
and love and service throughout the whole re-
mainder of my life, and for evermore. Amen.

FOR A CONVERTED SINNER. 355

A PRAYER AND PRAISE FOR A CONVERTED
SINNER.

1WILL praise thee, O Lord my God, with all
my heart: and I will glorify thy name for
evermore. So great is thy mercy towards me.
that thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest
hell. My lips therefore shall greatly rejoice,
when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou
hast redeemed, shall make her boast in the Lord.
For I was in darkness, but now am light in the
Lord; I was dead, and am alive again; I was
lost, and am found. When no eye pitied me,
and when I had not a heart to pity myself, then
didst thou, O most merciful and ever-blessed
God, look upon me in my blood, and bid me live.
O sinful wretch! that I should be taken, and
others left ! I stand amazed at thy kindness, O
God my Saviour ! The great things, which thou
hast done for my soul, are incomparably more in
my estimation than if thou hadst set me up with
the princes of the earth, and blessed me with all
the fulness and glory of the world. For how
soon do all these things pass away and perish !
but the word of God, by which I am born again,
lives and abides for ever. The grace of Godj,
which brings salvation to my soul, is in me a
well of water springing up to everlasting life. O
God of all grace, who had such thoughts of mercy
towards ine even when I was in enmity against

356 I'RAYJJR AND PRAISE

tliee, and did nothing but forget and provoke
thee, thou wilt not despise the day of smal1
things : thou wilt not be extreme to mark what
is done amiss, or cast me off for the failings of
my services, now that thou hast wrought in me
some good thing towards thee, and brought my
soul from the gates of hell, within prospect of thy
heavenly glory.

O what great and sore troubles hast thou
showed me ! yet didst thou turn again and refresh
me, and comfort me on every side, with the most
reviving and richest of all mercy. I must for
ever have perished, if thou, Lord, hadst not
brought me from my state of death in trespasses
and sins to newness of life: and better had it
been that I had never been born, if I had not
been born again. O blessed change ! and mighty
work, worthy of God! O the riches of grace,
and the wonders of divine power and love ! What
shall I render to the Lord for these greatest of
all benefits, which I am not able so much as
worthily to express ; I can never enough admire
and bless thee, O my God, for thy love to my
soul, which thou hast brought to see the joy of
thy salvation. How hast thou borne with me in
all my dulness and perverseness; and what exer-
tions hast thou been forced to use, in order to
overcome my reluctance, and make me willing
to be saved ! But thou wouldst not suffer me
to undo myself; thou gavest me checks in the
way of my sins ; till thou hadst overcome my

FOR A CONVERTED SINNER. 357

Leart by thine almighty grace, and brought me
home to thy blessed self.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is
within me, bless his holy name. My God and
Saviour! I was helpless and hopeless; yet at the
lowest, thou hast remembered me; and at the
worst, thou hast holpen and comforted me. The
fear of hell was upon me; and thou hast raised
me above it, and made me to rejoice in hope of
thy glory. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes. O who am I, unworthy wretch,
that I should be made so happily to differ from
others, and from my former self ! O what have
I done, that I should be thus distinguished with
thy saving mercy, when so great a part of the
world is still in darkness, and in the shadow of
death ! I am unworthy, O Lord ; I am utterly
unworthy : but thou art the God infinitely good,
and abundant in mercy.

O blessed God of ;ny salvation ! accept tho
oblation of myself, and of all my services, together
with my thanks and praise, for this thy love to
me in Christ Jesus. O what abundant cause hast
thou given me to love and serve thee ! Grant, I
pray thee, that my life may henceforth be entirely
devoted to thee; and that, as I have received
such mercy at thy hands, I may be ever active
and unwearied in showing forth thy praise. Let
me bless thee, O Lord, at all times; and have thy

358 RECOVERY AFTER TUCKSLIDING.

praise continually in my mouth, as long as I have
any being. Accept, O gracious Father, and con-
tinue me for thine own: and make me still fitter
for thy blessed and everlasting acceptance in
Jesus Christ my Saviour. Amen.

THANKSGIVING FOR RECOVERY AFTER A
FALL INTO SIN.

I BLESS thy name, O Lord my God, infinitely
good, that thou hast kept me alive to this day;
and after all my ill carriage towards thee, my
presumptuous boldness with thee, and manifold
rebellions against thee, thou hast not given me
over as a prey to the deadly enemy of my soul,
that seeks to devour me : but dost yet give me
room to hope, that it is not in vain to seek thy
face, and to wait for mercy at thy hands. O my
God ! how wonderful is thy patience, that thou
hast not left me to perish in my sins ! It is
through thy grace that I have begun to consider
my danger, and to inquire after a way to escape.
Yes, Lord, thou hast spared me thus in all my
sins, tnav, by the long-suffering which thou hast
exercised towards me, thou mightst show forth
all the wonders of thy grace.

O Father of mercies ! hast thou yet a blessing
for such a rebellious wretch ! and may I yet pre-
sume to look for thy blessed favour, after I have

KECOVERY FROM BACKSLIDING. 359

done tliee such infinite wrong? O the incon-
ceivable depths of goodness that are in thy gra-
cious nature, in that thou dealest with me as a
dear friend, notwithstanding I have behaved my-
self towards thee as the vilest enemy ; and that
thou givest me hopes of heaven, when I deserve
nothing but the torments of hell ! And hast thou,
Lord, kept me to this day, and brought me thus
far, to be avenged on me, and to destroy me at
last ? O my gracious Father, the God of all my
mercies ! I cannot think that thou delightest in
my dealh. I have wronged thee too much with
all my sins already, let me not increase the heavy
score, by distrusting such tried mercy, or doubt-
ing its continuance. Lord, I believe, help thou
my unbelief : I know that thou art not willing I
should perish ; but that by repentance I should
come to salvation. And O what a gracious God
have I, to deal so bountifully with me ! and what
a stony heart, to be no more affected with such
stupendous mercy ! O what a life of sins, and
what a life of mercies, has mine been! With
amazement I reflect on both ; to think how vile
I have been towards thee, my Lord; and yet
how good thou hast been to my soul. O that
these wonders of love may constrain me to cast
down the weapons of my rebellion, and bring me
nearer to my God, and make me more to abound
in thy love, and more to delight in thy service,
than ever I have yet done ! O that I may no
more offend so gracious a God: but being warned

3 GO FOR SPIRITUAL VICTORY.

by these escapes, and won by these mercies, let
me be more watchful and faithful in keeping
myself from my iniquity, and in striving continu-
ally to please thee in all things, through Jesus
Christ. Amen.

THANKSGIVING FOR SPIRITUAL VICTORY.

0 ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father,
who givest strength and power to thy people,
and, with their temptations, makest them a way
to escape, it is by thy grace that I am what I
am : and thy grace bestowed on me has not been
in vain. Thou hast helped me in time of need,
to withstand and overcome the temptation where-
with I was assaulted. My own strength, Lord,
thou knowest, is but weakness ; and my heart is
not to be trusted. But thy hand held me up :
and by the help of my God, I have preserved my
integrity ; and so resisted the devil, as to make
him flee from me. I find, O Lord, by sweet and
joyful experience, that thy ways are ways of
pleasantness and peace; and that in observing
thy laws there is great reward. O how much
are the heavenly raptures of victory to be pre-
ferred before the filthy pleasures of sin ! I now
see, that shame and sorrow are the cursed conse-
quences of yielding to the tempter; but glorying,
and confidence, and the peace of God, and joy in

A FAMILY PRAYER. 311

the Holy Ghost, are the portion of those that
overcome.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul
shall be joyful in my God; who has lifted me
up, and not suffered my foes to triumph over me.
They have thrust sore at me, that I might fall;
but the Lord was my help. The Lord is my
strength and my song, and is become my salva-
tion. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in
the dwellings of the righteous. The right hand
of the Lord doth valiantly, and brings mighty
things to pass. I shall not die, but live, and de-
clare the works of the Lord, and tell what he has
done for my soul. Blessed be God, who has not
tTi~ned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
O Lord my God ! thou hast been watchful over
me for good ; thou wast nigh to me ; and hast
showed thy fatherly care of me ; and, in love to
my soul, hast preserved me, because thou hadst
a favour unto me, I am thine ; and I will be
thine ; and will love thee, and bless thy name,
and give thee thanks for ever. Amen.

A FAMILY PRAYER IN THE ORDER OP
OUR LORD'S PRAYER.

OGOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by eternal generation , the Father of all
things by temporal creation ; and the Father of
thy people, by adoption and spiritual regeiiera-

362 THE LOAD'S PRAYER

tion ! What manner of love is this, that we who
have been rebels against heaven, slaves of Satan,
and children of wrath, should be made the chil -
dren of the Most High, and heirs of everlasting
glory ! We are thine, O Lord, for thou hast
made us out of nothing; yea, thou hast created
us anew, after that we had destroyed ourselves :
thou hast looked upon us in our blood and hast
bid us live. Thou art in heaven. O that we
may, in heart and mind, thither ascend ; and,
with all lowliness, worship at the footstool of thy
glorious Majesty ! Thou art our Father : O
that we may with confidence and delight draw
nigh unto thee as dear children ! And may we
also love as brethren, and be united to each other
as children of the same heavenly Father !

And, O that all the world may give thee the
glory due to thy great name; that thou mayst be
more known, and feared, and loved, and honoured
by us, and by all men, as our supreme Lord, and
as our chief good ; and that we may glorify thee
as we ought, in our thoughts and desires, and in
our words and ways !

O that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be
still more and more weakened, till they be utterly
destroyed ! that all the powers on earth may use
for thee the authority which they have received
from thee ! that all the kingdoms of the world
may become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of
his Christ , and Jerusalem be made the joy and
praise of the whole earth ! O that Christ may

IN PARAPHRASE. 363

dwell and rule in our hearts by his Spirit and
grace; and make us a willing people, the faithful
subjects of his holy kingdom ; and still reign over
us here, till we are made fit to reign with him in
glory for evermore! O thou blessed and only
Potentate ' let thy kingdom come so powerfully
into us, that thy will may be done by us faithfully
and without reserve.

And may thy will and word, O Lord, and the
way of salvation, be everywhere known upon
earth. Let the light of thy gospel shine and
prevail,, and win more proselytes daily through-
out the world. O send the means of grace, where
they are not ; and make them prosperous and
successful where they are. Let not the will of
the flesh, nor the ways of the world govern us ;
but let the word and will of our God be the rule
of our lives, to guide and sway us in all our con-
duct. Make us more conformable to thy will, in
all that thou requirest of us ; and more submis-
sive to thy will, in all that thou layest upon us.
Yea,, make us pleased with whatever is thy plea-
sure ; that loving thy word, and delighting to do
thy will, we may joyfully and cheerfully serve
thee as thy glorious angels and saints above,
whose heaven it is to please and enjoy the Lord.

And, till we are fitted for the life to come, give
us, O Father, (of thy gracious bounty,) all things
needful and convenient for us. Preserve us from
all the snares and dangers that attend both the
prosperous and the afflicted state. When we

364 THE LORD'S PRAYER

have this world's good, O that we may use it wisely
and piously, to thy glory : and, whenever thou
takest it from us, make us contented, and patient,
and thankful ; and the more intent upon that
good, which shall never be taken away. O thou
all- wise and merciful God! we beg, that we may
ever be in that state of body which thou knowest
to be best for our souls . and that all which we
have in this life may help to fit us for the life to
come.

We are ashamed and grieved, that we have so
much and so long dishonoured thy blessed name,
disobeyed thy holy word, and abused thy rich
mercy. We desire to return, and to be reconciled
to our God; to be humbled and penitent for our
sins, and to intreat thy gracious favour, in Christ
Jesus, for the pardon of them. Forgive us, we
beseech thee, O Father of mercies, for his sake,
all the sins that ever we have committed against
thee ; especially we beg to be discharged from
those wasting and presumptuous sins, which we
have at any time committed against the strivings
of thy Spirit, and the checks of our own con-
sciences; and which have filled our souls with
the dread of thy wrath, O give us tokens for
good, to persuade and assure our hearts, that thou
hast mercy in store for us. And incline our
hearts, O Lord, to forgive as we need to be for-
given, and to be merciful a? we desire to obtain
mercy.

And, that iniquities may not prevail against us

IN PARAPHRASE. 3G5

to spoil us for the future, subdue them, O God
of all grace, by the power of thy Holy Spirit :
and never suffer us to be tempted above the
strength wherewith thy grace shall supply us.
Make us careful to avoid all the temptations we
can. and strong in the Lord to overcome what we

y o

must encounter. We are poor frail creatures:
but thou art the Lord Almighty. O do thou pro-
tect us (we beseech thee) by thy powerful aids :
and so keep us from falling, that we may never
be made a prey to the cruel murderer of souls ;
nor be delivered into those bitter pains of eternal
death, which are the sad wages of our sins : but
may we find a way to escape every snare, and be
preserved safe to thy heavenly kingdom.

Thine is the kingdom, O Lord most high ! thou
art the King of all the world : and happy are
they who are under the conduct of thy good
Spirit, as the willing subjects of thy spiritual
kingdom. We desire and beg that we may all
be found of that number. Save, Lord, and lei
the King of heaven hear us when we call.

We ask great things at thy hands, but not to*
great for the Almighty God to grant: for thin<
is the power ; and thou art able to do for us ex
ceeding abundantly, even above all that we cai
ask or think. O reveal thy glorious arm, to do
things worthy of God, which none but thy blessed
self can do; in forgiving, and healing, and help-
ing us, who are helpless and hopeless in our-
selves.

366 THE LORD'S PRAYER IN PARAPHRASE.

Thine is the glory, O God, and such are the
wonders of thy grace, whereby thou gettest glory
to thyself in the salvation of those that were lost.

Therefore, though we are exceeding guilty, and
utterly unworthy ; yet we pray and hope, that
thou wilt glorify thy mercy, remembering us in
our low estate, and relieving us in all our wants
and straits. We would forsake every other
refuge, to come to thee : our expectation is from
thee; and our whole dependence is placed on
thee alone. In thy gracious goodness do we trust
through the merits and mediation of our blessed
Redeemer ; looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

And to thee, O great and glorious Lord God,
whose kingdom ruleth over all ; to thee who dost
whatever thou pleasest in heaven and in earth ;
to thee who showest forth all thy glory to the
blessed saints and angel sin thy presence; to thee
be glory in the highest, and all thanks and praise
ascribed, by us, and by all the world, for ever and
ever. Amen.

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CKEED. 3G7

A SOLILOQUY

FOB THE PIOUS SOUL'S SOLACE, BY WAY OP PARAPHRASE
ON THE CREED.

Let not your heart be troubled,, (saith the Lord
of love, our dear compassionate Redeemer:) ye
believe in God, believe also in me; (the mes-
senger of his love, sent to be the Saviour of the
world.)

Why art thou cast down then, O my soul ! and
why art thou disquieted within me ! when

I BELIEVE IN GOD,

And am not exposed (as one forlorn) to shift for
myself, and to make me a happiness out of my
own stock; but I have a God to repair unto, and
depend upon ; and to expect all that ever I can
desire from him. And this God is

THE FATHER,

Not only of our Lord Jesus Christ, by eternal
generation, but my Father, by a late creation,
which has brought me out of nothing to what I
am ; not only to being, and life, and sense, but to
the use of reason, and to the enjoyment of all that
ever 1 have in the world. Yea, I am bold to
father myself upon him also by a spiritual adop-
tion; and am persuaded that a woman may sooner

SC8 A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

forget her sucking child, than the Lord will for-
sake that work of his hands, which he has new
created in Christ Jesus : nor is he less able than
willing to do me good, being

ALMIGHTY

And what is too hard for Omnipotence ? or who
can pluck me out of his hands, to whom the very
powers of hell are but weakness ? though I am
weak as a shaken reed myself, yet my help stands
in the name of the Lord, who is the

MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,

And what can any of his creatures do against me,
when God himself is for me? he that made all,
will he see his child want a competency in the
world? or should I be turned out of the earth,
yet all heaven is the Lord's. And when he is my
portion, I am sure of that which is infinitely better
than all the world's good; the whole sum of which
is but a poor drop from the eternal fountain of all
goodness. And what can be better than him that
made it, and gave it all that goodness which it has?
Myself, and whatever I see in the world, was once
nothing. And the great Lord, who was most
blessed before all worlds, and would have been
nevertheless blessed, though we had never been
at all ; he has brought us into being ; not for any
need he had of us, but to communicate of his
goodness to us,

IN JESUS CHRIST,

And what so sweet as Jesus in my mouth ! no such

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED. 3G9

music in my ears ; no such gladness in my heart.
I was lost, and Jesus is my Saviour. I was dead,
and Jesus is my life. I was an enemy, and Jesus
is my peace. Still I sin, and Jesus is my advocate
with the Father. Christ is my prophet to direct
me ; my priest to atone for me ; my king to
defend me, and to watch over me for good. He
is all that I want, and all that I can wish. I am
worse than nothing without him : but I have all
things given me together with him, who is the
beloved of the Father,

HIS ONLY SON,

The only one, by nature, that is co-equal with the
Father: and, having such a friend in the court of
heaven, I will come boldly to the throne of grace.
For if the Son make us free, we shall be free
indeed. The Father will deny us nothing, that
we ask in his name. And the Son himself up-
braids us that we make no more use of this our
blessed privilege. Hitherto ye have asked nothing
in my name (saith he :) ask and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be full. Such pleasure has he
in the prosperity of his servants, who is

OUR LORD,

Our heavenly Sovereign ; at whose feet kings do
cast their crowns ; and all the angels of God
worship him. O happy the servants that have
such a Lord ! and blessed be the Lord, that will
admit me among the number of his servants ! Is
not he my Lord, that has bought me? In one
24

370 A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

sacrament I was enlisted into his service : and m
the other,, how often have I sworn allegiance to
him ! This is the crown of all my glorying, that
Jesus is my Lord;

WHO WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST,

In a miraculous manner, above all the power of
nature ; and without any the least spot of sin ;
that he might be a suitable propitiation for our
sins. He is fairer than the children of men, who
are (all of them) shapen in iniquity, and con-
ceived in sin. But he is free from every blemish,
and altogether lovely \ being

BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY;

And so he has done the highest honour to our
poor nature, by uniting it to the divine : taking
part of our flesh and blood, that he might not
only be touched with the feeling of our infirmi-
ties, but also taste death for our offences: coming
down to earth, to raise us up to heaven; and
manifested in our flesh, to bring salvation home
to our very doors. O how can I ever now be at
a loss, when the Lord, in whom lies our help, is
become God with us ; and, to embolden our ad-
dresses to him, has vouchsafed even to set up his
dwelling among us ? May all the glory of sal-
vation be to thee, O Lord, who hast brought

3 O

such glorious salvation to a ruined world.

HE SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE;

And, having no need at all to suffer for any sins
of his own, he was wounded for our transgres-

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED. 371

sions, and bruised for our iniquities. O wicked
wretch ! that I should be one of those, who put
the Son of God himself upon suffering ! But,
O how happy is it for me, that he was pleased to
suffer once, to save me from suffering for ever !

HE WAS CRUCIFIED:

Love, that was strong as death, fastened my
Saviour to the accursed tree, with his arms ex-
tended to receive me : and his side was opened
to make me a passage to his very heart. O my
dearest Lord ! forbid it that I should glory, save
in thy cross. On that let me rest my weary soul :
to that let me cling, though menaced by all the
powers of hell : and by that let me ultimately rise
to thine everlasting glory in heaven. He was

DEAD:

Not only Abraham, the friend of God, gave up
the ghost ; but he that was before Abraham, our
blessed Saviour himself, the well-beloved Son of
God, when he took upon him the seed of Abra-
ham, was not excused from dying. Shall I then
conclude, that my God has no kindness for me,
because I must follow such forerunners, and go
the way of all flesh ? No, though he slay me,
yet will I trust in him ; and have hope even in
my death. For the death of Christ is my life,
since he has taken out the sting of death tempo-
ral, and made it the very entrance to life eternal.
He has led us the way, through that gloomy vale,
to the glorious region of immortality. And shall

372 A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

death separate me from my Saviour, or divorce
my soul from the heavenly bridegroom ? No, I
depart hence, that I may be with Christ, and
that I may get nearer to him whom my soul
loveth. He is gone before ; and, Lord, I will
follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Thou wast
laid in the grave,

AND BURIED,

To make that desolate place inviting by thy
presence ; to perfume the chambers of death, and
turn the horrible pit into a happy cemetery,
where the poor, weak, perishing flesh is sown,
to come up again, powerful, glorious, and incor-
ruptible. And shall I shrink from the bed, where
my Lord himself lay ? Would I lie better than
he did ? No, the grave itself is become a goodly
lodging since Christ was there. And I will not
go down in sorrow to my grave, seeing that I am
going but to sleep with Jesus, the life of my soul,
and the source of all my joy.

HE DESCENDED INTO HELL;

Three days he continued in the state of the dead,
that none might question the truth of his death,
upon which depends all our hope of pardon and
life ; that I might not dread the parting of soul
and body, which befell my Lord himself; and
that none belonging to him might be out of heart,
even at the lowest ebb, when our Redeemer him-
self lay so long under the power of death.

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED. 373

THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD.

And shall I be in bondage all my life, through
fear of death, when under the conduct of such a
victorious Captain of salvation, who has triumphed
over all. the powers of the grave ? No, he liveth
and was dead. And though I know I must die,
yet I know that my Redeemer liveth, and is alive
for evermore : and because he lives, I shall live
also : for he has no life, but what every member
of his shall share in. Now therefore, O death,
I can triumph over thee, since my Lord has
routed all thy forces. It is true, thou yet cans*
kill me ; but thou canst not hurt me. For, wheai
thou takest down this crazy cottage, a better
fabric shall succeed, to stand for eternal ages.
But could not all the bonds of death hold my
Almighty Saviour? Dearest Lord! thou wast
arrested for our debt ; and laid up in the prison
of the grave on our account. But thy release
gives me a cheerful assurance, that thou hast
satisfied divine justice to the uttermost. Since
thou art come so gloriously forth, I am sure that
all is discharged. Then blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who,, according
to his abundant mercy, has begotten us again to
a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead.

HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN,

And O with what joyful acclamations was he wel-

S74 A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

corned home into those high regions of the blessed
after all his wondrous achievements, to effect eter-
nal redemption for us! He led captivity captive,
and dragged the infernal powers after his tri-
umphant chariot ; to show that hell, as well as
death, is subject unto him. And now he has
cleared us a way to glory, and opened the king-
dom of heaven to all believers ; being gone to
prepare a place for us, that where he is, there we
may be also. Even where

HE SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE
FATHER ALMIGHTY.

Far above all principalities and powers, a glorious
King for evermore, with all power and authority
in his hands, and all the crowns and mansions
of glory at his disposal. He is not only the Prince
cf the kings of the earth, by whom they all do
reign; but all the angels in heaven fly to do his
pleasure. In heaven he has cast off the veil,
under which he once concealed the brightness of
his majesty : and now he shows himself in all the
splendour of the King of glory. To him I look
as the great author and finisher of our faith ; and
the blessed object of my daily worship and devo-
tion; who, in all the height of his glory, does not
forget his poor servants here; but has still bowels
of compassion to intercede for us, as well as ful-
ness of power to prevail on our behalf. And God
forbid that I should forget this absent friend : or
bo unmindful of all that he has done and suffered
for me. O where should be my heart, but with

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED. 375

the great lover and beloved of my soul; who not
only humbled himself on earth, but even now in
heaven so humbles himself, as to remember me
in my low estate. And when I am in a strait, so
that I know not what to do, I will commit the
matter into his hands, and cast my care on him
who careth for me. For, what enemies have I,
which he cannot speedily make his footstool? Or
what blessing is so great, but he can, in a moment,
obtain it for me? Whenever then I am afraid or
troubled, I will look unto Jesus,, sitting at the
right hand of God: I will remember him as my

o

all-prevailing Advocate and Intercessor; and will
intreat his gracious favour, who is ever worthy to
be heard for me, though I am most unworthy to
speak for myself.

FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE QUICK
AND THE DEAD,

And shall appear in greater power and glory than
ever he was seen here in weakness and poverty.
Then shall his stubborn enemies, who would not
that he should reign over them, be brought forth,
arid slain before him. Then too shall all his sheep,
that heard his voice, and followed him, and waited
for his coming, and loved his appearing, hold up
their head with joy, and receive their complete
redemption. That day, so replete with horror to
the ungodly, will be to them a day of discharge,
and jubilee, and coronation; the sweetest and
most joyful day they ever saw. Then shall I

376 A. SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

behold Him seated on his throne, who once, for
my sake, died upon the cross. My Advocate, my
Life, my Saviour, will be alone exalted in that
day. And will my Advocate accuse me? Will
% my Life destroy me? Will my Saviour condemn
me ? No, though my iniquities have been great,
and my best actions very imperfect, yet, assured
that he who is my Judge has made satisfaction
for my sins, and procured acceptance for my poor
imperfect services, I will pray, Come, Lord Jesus,
come quickly.

I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST,

The Lord and Giver of life, the heavenly Coun-
sellor and Comforter of our souls, by whom I call
Jesus Lord, and cry, Abba, Father, unto my God.
And having such a blessed Guardian, and divine
Inhabitant; why do I drag on heavily, as if I
were left comfortless? Why do I not overflow
with joy in the Holy Ghost? Am I weak? he is
the power of the Most High, to help my infir-
mities. Am I forgetful? he is the kind Monitor,
to bring all things to my remembrance. Am I
afraid lest I should fail of God's acceptance and
salvation? this blessed Spirit witnesseth with my
spirit, that I am a child of God; and seals me to
the day of redemption. Away then, thou foul
accuser of the brethren! Peace, thou clamorous
conscience! and stand aside, all ye pitiful crea-
ture-comforts ! I have affiance in the Holy Ghost,
the Comforter. For I belong to

THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH,

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED. 377

I am a member of that most blessed society, some
of which (already entered into the joy of their
Lord) have got possession of their crowns, and are
passed from their warfare to everlasting triumph.
Arid the rest here (yet on our pilgrimage and war-
fare) are reaching forth to the glorious prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The

c5 O

lines are fallen to me in pleasant places, where
the Sun of Righteousness is risen upon us, and
causes the heavenly day-spring from on high to
shine upon us; even in that church, against which
the gates of hell shall not prevail. I believe

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS,

The same life and spirit pervades the multitude
of believers everywhere ; and like so many rivu-
lets, they run all to the same sea, though not in
the same channel. Or like divers strings of a
musical instrument, though they have several
notes, yet they make up one song of praise and
glory to their common Lord; from whom they
receive influence, as all the bodily parts do from
the head; and are knit together as fellow-mem-
bers of Christ's body. They are the household
of faith ; of that corporation and family of heaven,
for the sake of which they forget their own people,
and their father's house. Yea, as all the parts
of the body (how mean soever) share in the same
life as is in the head and heart ; and the noblest
members despise not the vilest ; but the lowest
aro of use to the highest ; and all conspire for the

378 A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

joint interest of the whole : so I, as a part of this
great body, (whilst I wander not by myself, but
keep to the flock of Christ, and join with them in
the worship and service of my Lord, and love
them in my heart,) am one of their happy number,
and do share in the prayers of every faithful
Christian throughout the world. And communi-
cating now with the saints in all offices of love, I
shall be advanced, with them, to the possession
of their heavenly inheritance in eternal life.

THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS,

This is the article that strikes at the very root
of bitterness, and removes the ground of all my
fears and griefs. O how numerous are my sins !
and what a heavy load upon my soul ! But it
lightens my heart to hear of God manifested in
the flesh ; to undergo all the penalties of sin, in
the very nature that sinned : to bear our sins in
his own body on the tree. And when our all-
sufficient Surety has finished the atonement, will
the justice of God require a second payment ?
No, God is not only merciful, but just also, in
justifying the believers in Jesus ; who was made
sin for us who knew no sin ; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him. And now
all the frightful guilt is swallowed up in that foun-
tain opened for sin and uncleanness, as a drop of
ink is lost in a mighty river ; so that my spirit
rej oices in God my Saviour : and I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord, whose blood

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED, 379

cleanses us from all our sin. O that I could love
him yet more, who forgiveth me so much,

THE RESURRECTION OF THE, BODY.

This is the Christian's stronghold, that although
we fall into the grave, we shall not be utterly
cast down; but have a Lord, that will be the
plague of death., and the destruction of the grave;
to redeem us out of the hands of both. My flesh
is perishing as the grass that is green and withered
in a day. But this mortal shall put on immor-
tality ; yea, mortality itself shall be swallowed up
of life. This heavy log, though sown a natural,
shall rise a spiritual body, swifter than the light,
to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes. Even
this vile body shall (in the great morning of the
resurrection) come gloriously forth, as a bride-
groom out of his chamber; and, (like the trees
new apparelled in the spring,) shall be more
orient and beautiful of itself, than all the robes
and jewels in the world can now make it: it shall
shine as the stars in the firmament, yea, above
the brightness of the meridian sun. Is then my
body now reduced to hardships? be it so: I do not
expect my rest in this world; but I look for it in
the world to come. In the mean time, I must not
think it strange to be tossed on tempestuous waves,
till I arrive at the haven, where I would be. Am
I tempted to excesses, or any lusts of the flesh ?
I will not surfeit on the meat that perishes; nor
sink the vessel that is carrying me over to the

380 A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CREED.

land of promise. I do not so hate thee, my own
ilesh; but desire thee to keep thy appetite for
entertainments infinitely better; seeing that I
believe the resurrection of the body,

AND THE LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN.

This is the centre of our desires, and the crown
of our joys; the drift of our whole religion; and
the height of all perfection. That which eases
all our labours, and makes our heaviest troubles
to be of little or no account. Wretched relief is
the heathen's antidote against the dread of death;
only to think that die we must. But Christians
have a consolation strong indeed; that, after
death, we shall live for ever. Our present lives
are (for the most part) spent in providing a sup-
port for the body. And, though God has graci-
ously made it pleasant to repair the decays of our
nature, yet he would not have us mistake that
poor pleasure for our heaven : the soul that knows
itself, is rather weary of this attendance on the
corruptible flesh; and aspires after that state,
where the body shall feel no weariness, and suffer
no decays; where shall be nothing vexatious or
troublesome; nothing to hinder or abate the per-
fection of our bliss. Every faculty of the soul
shall there imbibe that fulness of satisfaction
which so .long it had sought, but never found
before. And neither shall the body want an
agreeable entertainment for its feast and solace.
But it is not for a human tongue to utter, what

A SOLILOQUY UPON THE CRFED. 381

no eye has ever seen,, nor ear has ever heard. It
is enough to know, that the blessedness of heaven
is above our knowledge; being a life sweetened
with goodness no less than divine, and measured
with a duration no shorter than eternity.

All this I believe. And more than all this I
believe, in believing the life everlasting. My life
is hid with Christ in God: and the life which I
now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me,, and gave himself for me. And
when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
shall I also appear with him in glory. O let me
now begin the life of heaven; and hereafter I
shall never know its end. While I am here
alive, may I so die to the flesh, and to the world,
that when I depart from hence, I may live to
God with Christ; which is the life incomparably
best of all. Amen, Amen.

THE ENIX

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